What is your job title and where do you currently work?
Currently, I am the creative director and Photographer @ Eleven Dogs Inc. a company we co-founded with Zororo Makamba, I mainly focus on job execution, which is making sure the information our clients get can be translated into tangible results.
What does your Firm/Organisation do?
We are a digital communications company and we also do into visual production that is Film, documentary & Photography, we also specialize in Digital Media Content & Management, Broadcasting & Animation
Tell us a little bit about your career history?
I studied Environmental Health and science, specialized disaster Management then Water and Sanitation, I have worked for City Health department and later on World Bank, it was during those days that I really took up my photography passion and started earning a living through commissioned work or selling landscape images on canvas, I come from a family where my uncle and brothers are also avid photographers so it was an easy transition into the field, but mostly was a push from photographer from BBC earth who said I should take this as a career and I am glad I did.
Was this always your dream career or it changed somewhere along the line?
Not really, I have always been an environmental guy who enjoys outdoors and lots of space, I never knew you can take Photography as a career, photography was supposed to be a past time hobby, most of us grew up knowing traditional careers in law, accounting, medicine, etc.
How closely does your academic education fit in with your job?
The scope of understanding how the world works makes a huge difference, as a Scientist you are bound to be curious and as a photographer you want to explore and see the possibilities.
What qualifications do you hold? In short what educational path got you where you are? Could you have made the path shorter?
I have a BSc environmental Health, dip Disaster Management, dip. Water & sanitation,
What are the tasks you regularly do in your profession?
Travelling, Research, writing (which is something I don’t enjoy doing)
Can you tell us some of the projects you have worked on, which you found interesting?
Africa Cityscapes, The Other Hundred (entrepreneurs), Many Faces of Masimba (mental health project)
What is it the excites you the most when you are doing your job?
The idea that I am creating something I won’t be able to create again and also collaborations with other artists, from designers, make-up artists, researchers, and curators..
What bits do you find boring in your daily tasks?
Writing project proposals and charging batteries for our gear after a shoot
Any advice to those studying or aiming at this job or career?
Photography has many different genres, you really need to be good in one and make sure you excel in that subject; most guys fail or get frustrated because of trying to do all genres at once, those who want photography should start by doing photojournalism…. It really opens you up to a different new world
Interview by
Sharon T Sakonda