Amateur photographer shows off his hobby

He will never be mistaken for one of the avant garde on the Belizean artistic scene … but Noel Escalante is living proof that the role of the gifted amateur is very much alive and well. This afternoon I visited his annual show at the Belize City House of Culture.

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Informative, unique and captivating are just some of the words used to describe the latest exhibition by Belizean photographer Noel Escalante.

Noel Escalante, Photographer
?This collection is a tribute to our twenty-fifth anniversary of independence. It is an idea where we are showing the beauty of Belize in all the different destinations and all the different districts. It is a collection of beautiful photos from Stann Creek, from Cayo, from Belize District, from Belize City, from San Pedro and from Toledo. All the districts and destinations are represented in beautiful scenic pictures.?

Belize?Land of Many Faces and Places, displays a total of two hundred colored photographs taken over a three week period.

Noel Escalante
?For the first time I am doing an exhibition in relation to people. The idea is to show that everybody in Belize are one. We have the Garifunas, the Mayans, the Creoles, the Mennonites and the Mestizos. We are all one people living together in one beautiful nation.?

Escalante says he has had no formal training in photography and he does not use professional equipment to get his snap shots so he is surprised of the overwhelming response he has received over the years.

Noel Escalante
?My idea is to pass on the beauty of Belize to our young people. I am pretty much impressed with the amount of young people who are getting into photography, and who have expressed interest in photography.?

Belize-Land of Many Faces and Places, will run until the end of the month.