Posing for the estate photographer was cooler than selfies

During my days, the estate photographer was a very important man. He arrived in style on a bicycle and took black and white pictures. House maids were particularly keen as weekdays were when most of them dressed in mama wa nyumba’s best outfits.

But the main photographer was always based in the studio. There were two favourite studios in Nairobi: Studio One along Moi Avenue and Ramogi Photographer on Luthuli Avenue. The name Ramogi would have made one believe it was owned by an investor from Luo Nyanza, but believe it or not, it was a muhindi business.

Going for a studio portrait shoot was a ceremony reserved for special occasions, like Easter and Christmas. The picture had to have the Ramogi studio stamp and date. Almost every home had framed pictures hanging in living rooms. Nothing else was allowed on the walls, except family portraits and the occasional picture of Jesus, Cardinal Otunga and the Pope, next to a wall calendar or framed message that declared that “Christ is the head of this house.”

This explains the importance of the photographer. Nairobians jostled to have their pictures taken by the few photographers who set base at Uhuru Park and outside KICC. Posing was important and you had to follow their instructions carefully for that amazing shot of you ‘sitting on, holding or stepping on’ KICC!

These photographers respected retired president Moi, as his monuments like the Nyayo one along Kenyatta Avenue attracted countless shagzmodoz dying for photos to prove they were in the city.

But technology has since ruined everything. The estate photographer has since been replaced by selfies. They even invented a selfie stick, which Chris Kirwa probably had the honour to be the very first Kenyan to use. I guess Chris must have bought his during his honeymoon in Asia where he took selfies with his beautiful wife.

This guy was the first ‘Kale’ I heard talking without an accent. He used to be one of the most respected DJs during our time when the only station was Voice of Kenya (VoK). He was also arrogant, and often asked listeners to switch off the radio if they didn’t like his music selection as his deep voice peeled off during Sundowner and Late Date.

Anyway, being one of the most sought after MCs (he’s a celeb MC), he would whip out the selfie stick and take pictures with guests. I blame Chris for making Kenyans addicted to selfies - which have  messed up African traditions: Women taking selfies in bathrooms, in hospitals, when eating and driving and even others now take selfies with caskets during burials or in a grave! One woman recently posted one showing her cleavage in church! Isn’t that a holy place of worship?

I hope this trend is a passing fad and we will return to the old days when the photographer prepped us by counting to and clicking as we shouted ‘cheese!’ The photos were genuine and there was no Photoshop.

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@AineaOjiambo