Carnival 2023 | Ode To Robert Kapa

Robert Kapa was a wartime Photojournalist. With his friend and contemporary Henri Cartier Bresson, they established The Magnum Photo Agency.

Kapa once said “if your photographs are not good enough get closer” or words to that effect.

I fully appreciated Kapsa’s point of view; getting close to the action creates an intimate feel and immersive experience for the viewer.

Why stand back and shoot from the sidelines?

At Carnival, I deliberately left home with my X-T1 paired with my XF 16mm 1.4

This Wide Angle Lens is a thing of beauty; it’s a 24mm Full Frame equivalent on my Fuji X System and getting close is the big demand.

I forced myself through to get on the road right in front of the parade Kapa Style to get these images.

My Camera was set up to F11 with by shutter speed around 1/350. The parade was moving towards me at a moderate pace, not fast so I knew I would freeze the action.

Look at these images above - all created from Road side. Crap photos; I am only sharing these so you can see the difference. The Police has sectioned of the road to keep the public at a distance away from the parade - THIS IS NOT CARNIVAL.

Growing up, Carnival was about dancing and floating along side the parade. All the side roads were closed off.

With the side roads closed off, this meant no sound systems, no music, no additional activities were present. This was all very strange to me. The whole vibe of Carnival is the freedom to express ourselves. This was killed off by controlling the movement and flow of the crowd.

Carnival has lost its DNA

My images don’t lie.

I could feel the flat depressive energy. People were not expressing any kind of joy.

This is the end of Carnival for another year. If this is the shape of things to come. I consider it a nail in the coffin for the suppression of our black culture.

😢