Delton Barrett explores distress through a surreal Bahamian self-portrait
Original report:
Photographer Delton Barrett tells the Guardian how an improvised self-portrait on a quiet Bahamian road became Stop the Madness. Using a traffic cone and smoke, he created an ambiguous image that he connects to the signs of distress people may overlook.
Bahamian-based photographer Delton Barrett has described the improvisation behind Stop the Madness, a self-portrait made on a little-used road on New Providence. Speaking to the Guardian, he said the image emerged while experimenting with outfits and found props. A cone covering his head, with smoke rising from it, became a way to suggest psychological struggle.
Barrett said his grip leaves viewers unsure whether he wants to remove the cone or keep it in place. He connects that ambiguity to how people respond to others showing distress. Although he digitally alters some photographs, he said this image needed only framing and adjustments to lighting and possibly contrast.
Barrett’s account places the photograph within a practice shaped by his island surroundings and self-taught beginnings. He started photographing while working in construction with his father, bought his first DSLR in 2010 and used himself as a model in landscapes. He describes the Bahamas’ greenery, beaches and colour as continuing sources of inspiration.
Source
the Guardian — 4 November 2026
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