Postcard power

With searing images of stick fighting, dramatic folk singing and mud ovens from an era gone by, Whittington, with an uncanny eye for detail, brings his images to life.

The result, he said in an interview, has helped him develop a knack for capturing one-of-a-kind historical and cultural images.

With thousands of images accumulated over the years, Whittington is now embarking on a project in which those images will be put on postcards, for local and international sale.

The photographer said he designs the layout of the card on his home computer and then takes this to the printery where adjustments are made. The finished product has that postcard feel, but with an added historical flair to it.

So far, he has invested between $10,000 to $12,000 to get the project off the ground and has begun printing over 10,000 cards for sale here.

He has chosen 15 of his best shots including, flora and fauna, the old train system, memories of the Tobago Heritage Festival and TT Carnival for the first batch of cards.

To give a personal touch to each card, Whittington has composed poems to complement the photos. For instance, a representation of the old train system is accompanied by:

“Time has changed, no more trains,

But Maxi Taxis with red, green, Yellow, brown and black bands.

That are still bringing us Through the City Gates of our beautiful Port-of- Spain.”

He even shed a bit of history on the Best Village stick fighting competition on another of his postcards:

“Stick fighting can be seen in country areas Like Mayaro, Sangre Grande, Lopinot and other districts,

Where opponents battle in the gayelle or ring,

With polished length of cured wood, Ably supported by their chanting procession drummers.”

He hopes to sell the cards, costing $5 each, at the airport, hotels and souvenir shops.

Before the cards are sold internationally, Whittington said he first has to finalise copyright arrangements.

But the photographer will not pocket all the money earned from the sale of the cards. Half will go toward financing his six-year old non-governmental organisation, Trinity Mission Production, located on George Street, Port of Spain. The organisation offers counselling and assistance to persons in need of social support.

“The other half is for me, as this is the only way of supporting myself,” he said.

Whittington’s history behind the camera is one which began at the age of 17.

“My family disintegrated and in order for me to survive, I was forced to leave school prematurely and start working,” he said.

In 1971, he landed a job as a projector at the West Indian Film Board of Trade which was located in St James at the time. For 14 years, he worked with the board, projecting and editing film for locals and foreigners.

It was there he learnt a few lessons and where he honed his skills in photography. He said with the help of other photographers he finetuned his craft.

“Those photographers took me under their wings, they were like fathers to me and that helped build my photography career,” Whittington stated.

But some time later, he left the film centre and opened his own studio in San Juan, Trinity Photography Studios which provided photography services for a wide range of events, including cultural, private, sporting and national functions.

But the idea to create postcards was always at the back of his mind. He said his research showed him that most local printeries were not producing coloured prints and the ones that produced them did so at exorbitant prices.

“I had to put that idea on the back burner until an opportunity arose in the future,” he said.

Whittington operated his studio for 14 years until he was forced to shut it down in 1989.

“At that time the whole structure of the photography industry was beginning to change and this included getting new equipment and implementing new mechanisms,” Whittington said.

He said he could not bear the high cost of the new equipment, so he was forced to close the doors of the studio.

In 1990 though, Whittington’s life took a new turn. He dedicated his life to God and he said his approach to photography changed.

“Ideas just began pouring in,” is how he put it, noting that he found a new love for photography. He returned to working at events and saved money along the way to purchase “hi- tech” equipment. He now owns and can operate his own computer, scanner, printer, digital cameras and several new lenses.

“I don’t have to pay anybody now to develop my pictures, I can do it for myself, I am growing with the computer system and this saves me a lot of money,” he said.

Whittington has developed a new form of photography: photography art in which he marries his “old time” strategies with modern technology.

This is evident in several of his postcards.

Now 52, the photographer sees a bright future for himself and his mission. He plans to offer photography classes to secondary school students and is currently making arrangements with the National Library to exhibit some of his photos.

“I might not have had a college education but I am well covered when it comes to photography,” he said.