I don’t believe anyone is “purely” a scientist or purely an artist, and I’m a good example of that. My name is Rachael McIntosh – the quiet girl in high school who drew really well and had a knack for knowing what looked good, with a science background to boot. I got my first taste of photography by toying on an entry level camera of my mother’s. This happened after I grew disillusioned at the prospect of a medical career after years of science classes up to the advanced level, and months before applications for UWI – Mona’s MBBS programme opened. That was six years ago. The rest is history.
Photography is a happy marriage of my natural artistic abilities and how I initially learned to think: logically and inquiringly while making quick, astute observations along the way.
I consider a photo visual argument. My job as a photographer – using my eye for detail and strength of artistic composition – is to argue convincingly enough to make whoever views my work reconsider any previously held notions of whatever I capture. How do I get people who have probably seen this place, structure or person dozens of times, to look at it differently? Conversely, sometimes evoking emotion isn’t always at the front of my mind. My subject matter is very representational. I also try to have reverence for (and thereby keep the integrity of) my captures’ subjects.
My favourite things to capture are landscapes, architecture and live performances. I consume a steady diet of travel and architectural magazines (as well as the work of other photographers), and identify some commonalities. What keeps showing up in these captures? What can I do differently? I then try to shoot in a way that answers both of those questions. In the case of live performances, I like the challenge in watching the scene unfold and capturing the sweet spots – interesting, memorable moments. I’m less of a people person, and more of a skilled observer who loves a good composition, bright, punchy colours, and sharp, clean lines.
I’m very happy to share a little bit of who I am and my work on Carib Voxx. Enjoy!
Clinical
Turns out, I did make it to medical school – but in a much different capacity than my parents, friends and I originally thought! I looked at several photos of the building on Instagram and decided I’d try my hand at capturing the entirety of the roof, and subsequently employing a dramatic, intense black-and-white edit. My best friend gave me a tour of the building. Although he and his classmates (many of whom I know as well) love the photo, they still don’t understand why I got so excited upon seeing the roof (“We are not photographers”). Their loss.
River
This is the photo that made me start taking photography seriously – five whole years ago! There’s not much of a story to this photo, other than it being a great case of beginner’s luck. I was on the Black River Safari with my family, “babysitting” my mother’s camera. With no knowledge at the time of how to manually manage it, I thought the boat, river and surrounding foliage simply looked good, and shot automatically.
Pride
I took this at the 2018 Grand Gala. As soon as Wayne Marshall opened with “Lord, I pray”, the entire stadium lit up with phone flashlights. I immediately ran from the track to the grandstand and shot as fast as my processor would allow me. I must have taken over 40 photos. I saw this one upon review – which truthfully, didn’t need much editing – and wanted to immediately publish it. It’s one of my favourite photos.
Hotel Lobby
I saw the hotel being constructed throughout my first semester of my final year of university and was determined to get a photo before I left. I was again looking at Instagram photos of the January soft opening and thought the lobby was gorgeous, but the symmetry in lots of photos of it was off. Planning this shot went way past composing it. I contacted the hotel beforehand to see if photography was allowed. I walked up to the hotel in the evening when the light was just right, took a free tour, and shot at the very end of it. Editing this took a whole half hour, but it was worth it.
Gone Fishing
The most recent image I’ve taken, roughly a month ago. I grew tired of not being able to shoot because of the restrictions and curfews directly related to the COVID-19 outbreak on the island, and I left home for the Palisadoes strip at 6:00 a.m. I saw these three men masked up and fairly distanced from each other, but otherwise fishing like a pandemic wasn’t going on. I thought they – along with the mist and crashing waves against the backlight – made for a really nice capture.
Protoje
I got to see and photograph Protoje at my very first Sumfest, which was last year. I very quickly learned that to get dynamic artist shots, you have to be moving with the artist AND predicting their next moves too! I had one hand on my DSLR, the other hand in the air for his entire 40-minute set. Protoje kept snapping his fingers, enjoying the music, and I shot every time he snapped. I chose and edited what I believe to be the best photo, and lots of people loved it. He himself liked and retweeted it on Twitter!
