On January 1st, Studio Lafoncette Photography launched their third Blogging de Carnaval series on the Web site: www.studiolafoncette.com. The series focuses on the rich heritage, history and evolution of Trinidad Carnival. The blog uses original photography by Washington DC-based Trini photographer Leslie Robertson Toney. 

Every day, in the weeks leading up to Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Studio Lafoncette will post photos and text related to mas, mas construction, Carnival performance art, music, Carnival trends, and much more providing thorough background information to readers. Studio Lafoncette will also post original photos and interviews with Carnival veterans and masters such as the acclaimed fancy sailor Senor Gomez.

Blogging de Carnaval celebrates various aspects of Carnival that are sometimes overlooked or forgotten in mainstream coverage. As Toney said in this year’s first blog post, “Sankofa, the Adinkra symbol of the Akan people from what is known today as Ghana, teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential as we move forward...And today we also celebrate that in our respective carnivals we have evolved and created something that is uniquely Trinidadian (or Tobagonian, Grenadian, Vincentian, Brazilian, (New Orlean) American, Bahamian, etc.) but that has a connection to The Motherland and other Motherlands.”

She invites followers to “Discover a culture beyond your imagination.” Blogging de Carnaval can be accessed directly by visiting: http://studiolafoncette.com/blog/ Also check out Studio Lafoncette on their Facebook page: Studio Lafoncette Photography or follow them on Twitter @StudioLafoncett 

About Toney: Leslie Robertson Toney is a self-taught photographer with more than a decade of amateur and professional experience. Her work has been featured in the international exhibit Roots & Wings, FotoDC’s Cherry Blossom Photo Exhibit, the Art Society of T&T’s members’ exhibit 2011 and at the New Horizons Gallery of the Children’s National Medical Centre in Washington DC. Her work has also been published in Photographer’s Forum Best of Photography 2011 catalogue when she was a Best of Photography Finalist.