A Bermudian photojournalist has captured an important slice of local history through a series of pictures snapped during the November 9 General Election.

The exhibition, entitled Date With Destiny, is made up of 35 large photographs in both colour and black-and-white which photographer Tamell Simons said captured the spirit of the momentous occasion.

And Mr. Simons, who has worked and freelanced for a number of local magazines and newspapers, said he considers the exhibition the height of my career.

"I wanted to be involved with history, and I feel honoured to be part of the democratic process,'' he said.

"We are becoming more and more of a visual society and with a camera, you can stop time for a split second. If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, we have 35 to tell at least part of the story,'' he added.

Mr. Simons said the photographs were taken primarily from the day of the election until the opening of Parliament which gave him the chance to shoot photos of key political figures.

But he said he was inspired by the expressions and movements of the community, and took pictures with the people in mind.

Progressive Labour Party general secretary Walter Roban said the PLP sponsored the exhibition with the intention of beginning a visual historical tracking for both the Party and the community.

"We asked Tamell early at the start of the campaign to take photos of different things we were doing -- like press conferences, candidates canvassing, and rallies -- so there would be a photographic record,'' he said.

"It has come to pass that it was a historic campaign, and this is an exciting visual commentary about what happened on that night,'' he added.

Mr. Roban said the photographs of Remembrance Day were particularly noteworthy for capturing the Country's first formal realisation that there had been a changing of the guard.

"You can see in the pictures how people were feeling during those moments...not knowing necessarily what was to come, but still working with a purpose.

"These pictures are further proof that it was a people's victory -- they capture not just the dignitaries, but the people and their whole role in the democratic process. You can write it in words, but words can only minimise how you see things and will never have the same impact -- pictures give the total view,'' he added.

Mr. Simons said it was a test of his professionalism at times to maintain his composure enough to photograph the totality of the events.

"To be there and feel the energy and jubilation of the people. ..it's something,'' he said.

"The photos reflect dignity, strength, honour, jubilation -- I made an attempt to capture the human spirit,'' he added.

The exhibition, located in the Harbour Room of Number One Shed, opened at 9 a.m. yesterday -- the one-off holiday in celebration of the PLP's victory -- and will close on January 6 at 5 p.m.

The exhibition is free, but donations are welcomed and will go to Big Brothers and Big Sisters, YouthNet, and the Sunshine League.

In addition to this showing, Mr. Simons said there may be plans in the pipeline to convert to a travelling exhibition.

And an anniversary pictorial of The First Hundred Days is expected to be available on November 9, 1999.

Those interested in later purchasing photos from Date With Destiny should contact Mr. Simons on 295-2957 or Mr. Roban on 292-2264.