SO shares with you ‘Style’ as seen through the lens of aspiring photographers from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. We tapped in on the creative juices of a few other well-established photographers too.

Marlon James’s Glow

“Quite literally, Glow illuminates the creative use of make-up to make powerful statements about fashion and style. The use of glowing paint as decorative body art is a popular practice and this photograph was inspired by the new fad of fashion in nightclubs — adorning oneself with an array of colourful designs. The model’s image stands out in the radiating glow, making it ‘pop’ in an otherwise dark environment.”

Make-up: Krystle Brow

Model: Dancehall artiste Keida

Rural Beauty by Donnette Zacca

Festive, creative or fashionable?

“I captured this Rural Beauty in St Thomas one Sunday afternoon. The ‘subject’ was more than willing to pose for a photograph, especially since she had just had her hair done. From a distance I thought this young girl had simply decorated herself for some kind of festivity. It turned out to be coloured strands weaved into her natural hair, which would be left for days.

“Neat and creatively done, I told her she looked beautiful.

“I thought of the reaction of her peers, but she was happy nevertheless and fashionable for her age.

“I guess happiness sometimes comes with being determined to strike a different pose, if even for yourself.”

The Colour of Music — Jowane Rodgers

“Music is the main contributing factor in how I interpret ‘style’. My aim was to show how the modern world has revolutionised how we listen to music today.

The age of technology plays a major role in the creation of devices that are used to store and play music — CDs, mp3s and iPods, and other devices.

I bounced the light off the underside of CDs to reflect its ‘colours’, both those you can visually see, as well as those expressed through different genres of music, such as hip-hop, rhythm and blues, country, pop, among others. Though artistes are grouped into categories, you can identify them differently not only because of their voices, but also because of their delivery, their ‘style’. So the theme ‘colour of music’ was used as a metaphor. This is why I call the photo The Colour of Music.

The Autumn Aisle — Dahron Johnson

“There is a calmness that this image brings, and upon close inspection, one can identify two different forms of style in this photo. There is style in the way the image is captured; the use of various leading lines, or perspective, that directs the viewer to the central object in the photo. It also gives a sense of distance which helps to bring it alive. Although the leaves have fallen, and may be considered dead, the bright morning sun plays its part in enhancing the bold colours that the leaves possess.

Style is also present in the female figure in the distance… her faint silhouette which shows her femininity — her strong curves and the roundness of her figure.”

Alwain Reid’s Discovery

“I captured this moment on a photography trip to Spanish Town, as a fellow schoolmate fondled this marijuana plant she happened upon during our trip. The image has been converted to black and white and certain aspects of the composition left in colour; the curves of light were adjusted to define hue, and black and white.

The piece is entitled Discovery because of how non-intentional it was to take it [the photo]. It was wondrous to us as our eyes graced the illegal plant, and then ironic because of where it was discovered — at a government institution.

This piece embraces the theme style because a contrast is created with the figure not dressed as a cultivator or farmer, but a trendy modern-day woman. In essence, it would be akin to a garbage collector wearing a Gucci suit to work. A conflict is then created by the locks the person wears, directing one to the Rastafarian culture and its relations to marijuana. The piece represents something that may not be legally or culturally acceptable in the eyes of people, but as a work of art holds aesthetic appeal. All in all, the composition depicts a situation of where an unacceptable situation may be deemed acceptable.”

Brittney Hughes’ Self on the Outside

Exuding the artist’s personal style, this photo shows strength of character, which surfaces not only in what the model is clothed in, but also in her stance — the clenched fist, the comfortable, yet strong tones of her dress, the heavy metal accents which include skull and crossbones, the key to a lock — all intentionally made to stand out.

The Makings of a Man — Khadeem Davis

“My choice of using forms to depict style is far from the norm of using the human body in clothing. I try to represent style using various contrasts in lines and in how I compose the photograph.

“In my photography, I interpret elements of art and design that I find aesthetically appealing and interesting in character.”

The Great — Steven Blake

“The Great is a photograph taken during the summer of last year. It is a sepia shot of a section of the Great Pond in St Elizabeth. I took this shot as a reminder of the true beauty Jamaica possesses, since it was a short escape for me from industrialised Kingston.”

Old Meets New — Latoya Wright

“Old and new are captured in a candid moment, where vintage-inspired apparel reappears in modern-day fashion trends.”

Flora and Fauna — Mario Peterkin

“Nature is brought to life in man-made objects.”

En Paix — Christina Hoo Fung

“Upon visiting the Holy Trinity Cathedral since its ongoing restoration, I’ve been fascinated by the beauty of its frescos. I’m not particularly religious, so it’s unusual that I’m so drawn to this spiritual edifice. The intricacy of the artwork and the keen attention to detail, coupled with the thought of how many hours must have gone into what has thus far been completed, is very inspiring, not to mention mesmerising.

This photo is of the inside of the cathedral’s dome. I was unable to capture it in its totality until I lay flat on my back on the floor. It’s simply hypnotic, and each time you look at it, you notice something new — the soft colours, the glow of the sun through the dome, the outline of shapes that seem to jump out at you, the serenity that washes over you as you lay on the floor.”

Ricardo Bailey’s Purbike

“This photo was taken at about ten o’clock in the morning on the way to a video shoot. Propped up near to a water tank, the bike caught my eye. And the wooden fence it leaned against, along with the actual make of the bike gave it a very vintage look and feel. The leaves surrounding the area added to that, and for me, at that moment, I felt like I was in a different time and place. It looked to me as if it were purposely set there to give that effect… as if it were ‘styled’.”

Ryan Lue-Clarke’s Mist

“If you’ve ever walked the beach near to the lighthouse on the Palisadoes strip, you’ll notice various clusters of rocks. I sat and waited for sunset to get this shot because I wanted as little light as possible, so that I could slow the shutter enough to get the perfect shot. Doing this gives the water a misty look and is usually perfect for waterscapes like ocean and waterfall shots.”

Joel Finnigen captures The Rider

“On a recent photography group trip to St Thomas with the Jamaica Flickr group, we stopped in a small rural village called Duckenfield, where the Duckenfield sugar factory is located. I was walking down one of several dirt roads that run through the cane field when I spotted a gentleman making his way, on his bike, down a track that divides the expanse of sugar cane. I composed the shot like this to capture the leading line created by the dirt track, to give some perspective of the biker’s journey as he ‘rides off into the unknown’. It is treated in sepia to give the photo a nostalgic feel, creating a snapshot of ‘old-time’ Jamaica.”