After being in the field of photography for several years, he has mastered the art of bringing the beauty of the unusual to the forefront.
Through thought provoking images, he has reshaped the way we see agony, the utterly ordinary and the stunning. For 32-year-old John Green, photography is a powerful medium in which he offers infinite avenues for perception.
International standards in photography are a guarantee with him. And our corporate world has gone “Greene.” He works for a number of major companies locally and has catapulted himself to the number one spot in Guyana.
But getting to this point, Greene asserts, is absolute proof that God was on his side. Reflecting on his beginning, he said that he is of the firm belief that he was destined to be a photographer.
Growing up, Greene was no angel. In fact, the threat of the belt and a few “hot lashes” weren’t enough to prevent him from being opinionated and stubborn. Those qualities coupled with a disregard for personal development at the time, lead him down a very bleak path.
The now endowed photographer attended Ketley Primary School and then progressed to Dolphin Secondary. At the time he resided in Albouystown, Georgetown, with his mother and father, Carmen and John Henry Greene. He is the last of four children, with two brothers and one sister being his siblings.
“I remember growing up in Albouystown in a tenement yard. Things were rough. My father was a trader but unfortunately, he died in a motorcycle accident. My mother and father were always strict on my getting an education, but I was always stubborn. I got caught up with the wrong company and just got lax when it came to school work. My sister and other siblings loved studying, but I just got caught up with the distractions. I wouldn’t say I was a disgusting child, but I was pretty hard to deal with at times. When I got out of high school I was drinking heavily and cursing a lot and it was depressing for me,” Greene reflected.
He added, “Unfortunately, the environment was turning me into something I was not proud of, and I had the power to change that. Sometimes I was reflecting on my future and what I wanted and realized that I couldn’t get those things if I didn’t study. I remember telling myself that I want a beautiful wife and children, but how am I going to provide for them when I am not taking my education seriously. Those fundamental questions I couldn’t adequately answer and it slapped me in the face. It was a wake-up call and I needed to change. From that point on I stopped cursing and drinking for good. It was time to make a serious turn around in my life.”
Eventually, the Greene family moved to Kitty in Central Georgetown, where the photographer insisted was like “a breath of fresh air.”
The 32-year-old said, “It was different. New friends and so on, and I felt I needed the change in the environment. It did well for me. My family and I got involved in the church and we became devoted Christians. I was happy and sad to move away from the area. I realized that I needed to change, but I had friends in that neighbourhood, and it was sad to see that they were not focused. Getting into the wrong things and not realizing that they don’t have to be stifled by what is surrounding them. I know what it feels like to be in that position. If you stay in an area for too it long feels like you are stagnant with no hope to get out.”
After turning his life over to God, Greene found some clarity. He then landed himself a job at Gizmos and Gadgets as a phone technician. He turned out to be the lead technician at the company as he became very popular with even some important people.
“The job was great. I learned a lot and it brought me in contact with some really interesting people. Ministers were always calling and I was fixing phones for almost every well-known person you can think about in Guyana, even the President. But even though I was making loads of money, I was not happy with it. The numerous calls became too much for me to bear. I was not doing something I truly loved but rather because it was profitable.
“I was really hoping and looking to find something I would fall in love with. One day I took a regular camera and I took a picture of a leaf in my backyard. That was an ordinary moment but it was the defining moment of my life. I started taking my camera to work and taking pictures of some of my pretty friends in the Glamour Boutique. Things just started hitting off from there. Then I did some shots for the company and soon enough, people wanted to know, who was this John Greene?”
Eventually, Greene started getting calls for private shoots, from company bosses and models. The word began to spread about his artistry when it comes to photography.
After developing his image over the past three years, he has been a favourite with many government officials, particularly Ministers, and has done countless photo shoots. He has done work for Digicel, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a number of local beauty queens and entertainers.
“I am passionate about what I am doing, even when I am doing my favourite things like reading and swimming, I’ve got photography on my mind. There are some people who get lucky with photos, but it isn’t about getting lucky for me. It’s about planning and having a vision. You can have the most expensive camera; if you don’t have a vision then you are leaving too much to chance. And your models or whoever you are working with can tell when you are working without a plan. It’s kind of bad for business.”
“I can’t stand delivering mediocrity to my clients. It is out of the question for me. I have such a vivid imagination, that let’s say I have to do a shoot with a model, I can basically picture her with whatever clothing that would be best for my shoot and know exactly what I want to be delivered. I am a humble artist who enjoys bringing visions to life and capturing them.”
But Greene has now carved out another comfortable forte. He is now into videography. Many local companies did not hesitate to jump on board. This field was not short by any means of an international appeal to it.
But while Greene enjoys a successful career thus far, he still remains a quiet guy who enjoys spending quality time with his wholly appreciative wife, Alicia.
Having to compete with a husband’s job may not be the easiest of challenges for many wives, but Greene admits that his wife understands his dreams and she is of course a major part of it.
