It feels like a lifetime ago, but my photographic journey began in 2015. Before that, the only “camera” I took seriously was a video camera—used strictly as a coaching tool. I spent 11 years coaching youth cricket at Wanderers Cricket Club alongside other parents and volunteers. Some notable names passed through our programme, including Jason Holder, Shai Hope, and Kraigg Brathwaite.

I’m not entirely sure what sparked my interest in photography. I suspect it was an image I saw in a magazine—a long-exposure seascape somewhere far away. I remember thinking, “It would be nice if I could make something like that.” At the time, all I had was a little CoolPix camera from a cricket tour. I knew nothing about f-stops or ISO and only had a vague understanding of shutter speed. The “holy trinity” of exposure was still very much a mystery.

But I experimented anyway. It didn’t take long to realise the CoolPix wasn’t going to deliver the images I had in mind. During a business trip in January 2015, I finally took the plunge and bought a Nikon D750, a couple of kit lenses, and a tripod. That was it—I was hooked.

Later that year, I entered NIFCA and, to my surprise, earned a Gold and a Bronze award. I believe the Gold was for Best Digital Photograph. It was encouraging—although not financially useful. Then came an extended “break.” I didn’t enter again until 2019, when I received four Bronze awards and, more importantly, BBD$1,500 in prize money earmarked for photography education. This became the start of something much bigger.

Before that prize money, I had already completed a Diploma of Professional Photography with the Photography Institute, which forced me to unlearn, relearn, and properly learn the fundamentals. I tackled colour theory (still my nemesis), depth of field, and the relationships between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. I later added a Certificate in Sport and Event Photography—useful, given my years of photographing sweaty, fast-moving sporting events.

Then Barbados entered lockdown in 2020, and suddenly I had time to reflect. I realised something surprising: I genuinely enjoyed photographing people. Sports photography had exposed me to expressive faces, raw emotion, and fleeting moments, and I found myself drawn to the dramatic, painterly style of portraiture. This revelation was unexpected—especially for an introvert. At parties, you’ll usually find me quietly in a corner, observing the chaos and blending in with the furniture.

Taking a gamble, I joined Sue Bryce Education (SBE) and committed fully to portraiture. SBE offered an enormous library of online and in-person education—posing, styling, makeup, body types, lighting, self-worth, marketing, pricing, studio management, photography basics, Photoshop, Lightroom… it was like being handed a massive buffet and being told, “Go ahead, try everything.”

SBE was also linked to The Portrait Masters, which provided additional tools and guidance. Gradually, I became more aware of light, shadow, posing, and the emotional side of portraiture. This new direction felt exciting, creative, and—most importantly—challenging.

Learning Makeup (Yes… Makeup)

With so many resources available, I had to start somewhere—so naturally, I began with makeup. This was almost the end of my portrait career before it even began. Makeup is expensive, complicated, and comes with a vocabulary I had never heard before. My wife doesn’t wear much, so I drafted my secretary to help. Before long, I found myself in a store buying foundation and concealer, trying not to look suspicious while muttering, “Warm tone… cool tone… what does this even mean?”

Dress Sizes… A World of Madness

Next came dress sizes. I concluded very quickly that women’s dress sizes mean absolutely nothing. They vary wildly between brands and seem based on “vanity inflation.” A size 8 in one brand might be a 4 in another. I now understand why it takes so long to buy a dress: the bust fits but the hips don’t… and the cycle continues.

I bought a few dresses on my own—another interesting experience—in case a client arrived without something suitable. I chose size 10 regardless of brand: too big could be pinned; too small would be left open at the back and kept out of the frame.

Boudoir education added lessons about underwear and how different pieces affect body shape. I also learned that most women do not wear the correct bra size, which creates pinching and marks that must be removed in post-processing. And then there are tan lines caused by straps—another thing to manage both in-camera and in editing.

Finding My Style (and Finally Understanding Flash)

To preserve my sanity, I leaned toward the aspects of portraiture that excited me most: painterly fine-art portraits, darker images, dramatic shadows, and intentional light direction. Shooting “to the left” of the histogram became my goal, though it meant dealing with noise in the shadows.

Then came flash. Flash had always confused me. People would say, “Use f-stop X, shutter Y, ISO 100,” but never why. SBE finally unlocked the logic for me. Once you understand the fundamentals, flash becomes enjoyable—and something you control to match your vision.

Finding Willing Subjects (“Guinea Pigs”)

Eventually, theory wasn’t enough—I needed faces. My first volunteers were my brother and his wife, who showed up in T-shirts and shorts. Thankfully, their faces and hair were presentable. When planning for this little shoot,  I remembered a Gregory Heisler quote: “Men have to look interesting. Women have to look good.” So taking this to heart, since the T-shirts didn’t quite “hack it,” I turned the focus on their faces. (One of these images got a bronze in the accreditation process)

Post-processing presented its own challenges: frequency separation, consistent tones, and dealing with Nikon’s tendency to oversaturate reds in RAW files. How much skin retouching is too much? The SBE Facebook group became invaluable for feedback. Male subjects required a different approach—moody lighting suited a rougher look; brighter lighting created a friendlier one.

Another challenge was learning to compose in-camera rather than cropping later. Filling the frame intentionally is still a work in progress.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the article coming in January