Almost three decades ago, she filled the family’s photo album with baby pictures, but today is mostly on the other side of the camera shooting from the tiniest flowers to the most beautiful brides.
Radhika Jackson grew up in front of the camera as her father was a photographer. Often, when he was almost at the end of a roll of film, he finished it by taking pictures of her. On other days when he wanted to try a new photography technique, she was his model. Then, when she was old enough to handle a camera, he let her have a go at it, but limited the shots she was allowed because of course when shooting with film, there is no delete button. “I remember going to school and my friends barely had a few or no photos of when they were babies and I would have them by the hundreds…,” Radhika recalled.
Radhika grew up as an only child, owing to a bone-chilling tragedy that occurred when she was only four years old.
“I had a sister who died in a robbery incident after she was shot in 1994,” she related. “She was only three months old at the time. I was four years old. My parents and grandfather 
were beaten. They had bruises and cuts. We were all living together.
“I remember my grandmother telling me to hide under the bed, so I hid under the bed and she was in the other room. I remember being really scared. I recall seeing the door to the bedroom open and I saw feet but that’s all I can remember.”
After that, she had to learn to live without the sister she had adored for the three months they had together. While there were suspicions about who the robbers were, she added, nothing ever came of the incident.
Upon completing secondary school at 16, Radhika joined her father in his photo studio assisting him in taking portraits and passport/visa-sized photos. She attended the University of Guyana where she read for a degree in Computer Science, later becoming a computer technician for NT Computeac.
Radhika is the wife of renowned Guyanese photographer, Michael Jackson. While the two gravitated towards photography from different places, because they are in the same field, about half of the time they talk about the art and how they can improve it. According to her, it was not until she met her husband that she saw photography in a different light compared to the point and shoot way she grew up taking photos. Michael was at the top of the list when she spoke of those who inspired her. Also making were Michael Lam, Fidal Bassier, Dione Vanderhyden and Saajid Husani. She also admires photographer/videographer, Peter McLennan.
Radhika began doing photography professionally again last year when she began assisting Michael at events.
The artist confided that though she has not had many challenges in this area, though initially she did struggle with lighting. She explained that when she first began assisting her husband at events, there would be different areas where the light would be too bright or too dim requiring her to change her camera settings. However, after several events she figured it out.
Of all the events she covered, her favourites are Hindu weddings specifically because they are really colourful. But she likes all weddings as she enjoys capturing brides up close when they are getting made-up for their big moment.
Outside of weddings, Radhika has done birthdays and anniversaries, some photoshoots and has done photography for companies including the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Jaguar Oil Field Services and several oil companies.
Though the Jacksons work together, they have worked individually on events. However, when asked if she ever intends to have a photography business aside from her husband, Radhika said she has never thought of it and cannot see herself doing so. Radhika has a fascination with flowers and if anything, this would be the only genre of photography that she might do on her own but otherwise, the two will continue to work together.
“Photography allows me to be creative and keeps me thinking… Take a flower for instance, it keeps me thinking how to take that same flower from a different angles, light and positions so it pushes you to want to do more,” the photographer enthused.
The majority of the time the Jacksons leave their home they have cameras. It has become a habit so that if anything piques their interest, the camera is nearby to capture it. Photography, she added, has become so infused in their time that their six-year-old son uses his father’s old camera that was given to him and he is always picking it up to take pictures of flowers or their dog.
If there is anything Radhika dislikes in photography it is when she is trying to capture a shot at an event and everyone else is trying to do so with their phones, blocking her view.
She admonished aspiring photographers to not be scared of getting into photography because of camera phones as it takes a professional to create art noting too that they must be willing to always want to advance their photography because just like a computer comes with different updates and more advanced technologies, so does the camera. It is a learning experience being a photographer, she shared.
Her biggest supporter, the photographer said, is her husband, who is always encouraging her to pick up the camera and try something new.
Currently, in her free time, the photographer loves reading novels and watching a bit of television but most of it is now being used to homeschool her son. At the moment, Radhika has taken a break from event photography as she is expecting a new addition to their family in the coming months. She only grabs the camera to photograph flowers or something that catches her attention.
She loves eating and has many favourite dishes but every time the family goes out for dinner, she ensures she gets calamari.
Her all-time favourite quote that she wishes to share is one attributed to Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
This Pisces considers herself a girly girl, whose favourite colours are purple and pink.
For a better look a Radhika’s photos, she can be followed on Facebook at RD Jackson.
