Capturing the world

Sunday Newsday chatted with the 21 year-old deaf photographer and his mother Gillian Pilgrim, who interpreted for him.

Baptiste began taking photos around age seven and Pilgrim recalled that whenever they would take pictures of him he would take the camera and then take pictures of them.

He explained that he likes to take pictures of people having fun, and especially likes to shoot Carnival events, the Independence Day parade and activities during parties.

Baptiste graduated from Woodbrook Secondary School, though he almost ended up at Servol. His mother recalled that he was placed there following the Secondary Entrance Assessment examination but the Education Ministry was petitioned to allow him to attend secondary school.

He enrolled at Woodbrook Secondary but there were no other deaf children or interpreter at the school.

His mother, however, was a teacher at the school and she assisted him and the family paid for an interpreter.

Pilgrim also pointed out that while on field trips he would take pictures and videos of everything so later they could discuss it and he could craft a report.

Baptiste told his mother that he wanted to do photography as a job and she explained that he would have to register a business. He began Urban Photography in 2012.

With the formation of the company he had to upgrade from a simple digital camera to a Canon EOS Rebel T3i.

Pilgrim especially remembers two photos her son had taken: one of the sun setting at Pigeon Point Beach in Tobago and the second of the Jet Blue plane while on a return flight from New York.

Baptiste submitted the photo to the airline and they liked it so much they used it in their official promotions.

He takes pictures every day, stretching, kneeling, climbing, or even lying on the ground to get that perfect shot. He would shoot sunrises and sunsets, or the moon if he finds it is looking fascinating.

“Whatever fascinates him he would take it,” Pilgrim explained.

But although he loves regular photography, his dream job is to be a radiographer, taking pictures but of the inside of bodies. Pilgrim explained that Baptiste’s brother is a nurse and he saw radiology in action when he visited him.

He has applied to the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) to pursue his radiology passion.

During the COSTAATT interview he was advised to apply to the Ken Gordon School of Journalism so he could follow a photography path, but he was set on a career in radiology. He said that wants to take pictures of people’s insides to help them feel better and subsequently take a picture of them wearing clothes and looking good.

Outside of photography Baptiste also plays basketball and coaches at Woodbrook Secondary, plays cricket and is a good bowler.

He is also a first degree black belt with Purple Dragon at the Belmont Community Centre.

He explained that with sports he feels “equal” and because he has to read lips it helps him to focus.

Pilgrim said the entire family is proud of Baptiste and will continue to support him in whatever he wants to do or however far he wants to go. She expressed thanks to the Cascade School for the Deaf and Woodbrook Secondary and Purple Dragon for accepting him.