In days gone by, the village photographer was revered. He (they were mostly men) was a big deal met by audiences dressed in Sunday-best clothes. In the digital age, however, people are sharing image content online each second. But the attraction for professionally captured images still remains; photos speak a thousand words after all.
Cynthia Cheptoo Mutai, a fourth year Maseno University Student is cashing in on a trend having nurtured photography in her teen years.
“What inspired me to be a photographer was the comments I got after taking pictures of my friends. They appreciated my photography despite my using a phone camera at the time,’’ says Cheptoo. She adds that the positive comments pushed her to do professional photography one and a half years ago.
After acquiring a camera from her little savings and help from her parents, the 20-year-old Mathematics and Computer Science student started taking photos of her colleagues in school at a fee.
“I major in outdoor photography charging Sh1,000 per hour of photography,’’ she says.
Cynthia is not the only Maseno University student who is using photography to earn an extra buck in school. Martin Karanja, a 22-year-old Business Administration student is also building a business from taking photos.
“I started taking pictures for fun for a long time but started doing it for money about a year ago. The feeling I get when I transform an idea into an actual picture is what inspires me,’’ Karanja explains.
He, on his part, majors in event, portraits and nature photography. Unlike Cheptoo, he charges Sh100 for every image.
Cheptoo says that some people doubt whether she is a good photographer because she is a girl, and when that happens, she only has to show them her work and the unbelievers turn out to be the most loyal customers
“My advice to the youth is to let their talent’s voice be louder than their fears,” she says
Karanja’s advice to his peers is that they should start with what they have. “If its photography for example, you can start with your phone camera,’’ he says.
They both share their pictures on social media which comes in handy in marketing their talent to potential customers.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join