There are those who believe that every living thing deserves to be supported to experience the best possible version of its life. David Macharia is one of them, and this is his mantra.
“I have met individuals who have supported me in one way or another to establish a number of ventures through which I have been able to express my love for photography, travel and mentorship” he says.
18 years in the photography industry has
not only helped him establish his
photography franchise that encompasses
a school, but also enabled him to mentor
some of the most revered photographers
in East Africa.
David Macharia or ‘Mash’ as most of
his friends, clients and acquaintances
call him is a renowned photographer
who was born and raised in Kenya. He
started his photography journey in the
year 2000 after he completed his high
school education and due to lack of fees
he couldn’t have a college education. He
worked at a printing studio from which
he resigned in 2003 and became a
freelance photographer.
Photography is one of the most revolutionary additions to the advancement of human artistic expression. In Africa we have the opportunity to tell our own stories in a unique way.
With the development of photography there has been a breakdown of different genres of photography, such as commercial, portraits, fashion, wildlife, events, conceptual and architectural photography, the most recent advancement being glassless lenses and cameras that have wifi to enable us share our images in real time.
During an evolution of photography event that happened in Nairobi, Kenya that was graced by lovers of art, photographers, journalists as well as politicians and human rights activists looking forward to mentor young people and help shape the industry, it was evident that photography has come from far.
There was a nostalgic atmosphere as people shared their experiences in the early 80s and early 90s, saying how they would wait for a photographer that was known by everyone in the village to come during special events, who would take a photo once and that’s what would be printed. If you were captured with a lazy eye, my oh my! That’s how it would be printed! Now photos can be edited and even manipulated according to the client’s preference.
The most evident thing was that there were people from different fields who had been inspired by David to venture into photography. Some even had quit their jobs to focus on photography as a full-time job.
This includes Ms.Catherine Majani, who is in finance and does part-time travel photography on her blog Negesa Trails, Regina-Re, a renowned TV personality and communication specialist, Erick Vateta, a trained lawyer who now does photography full-time and runs his blog Kenyan Story and Sam Mutembei, an architectural student who does photography and has his own company called Creative lab Africa. There were also a lot of university students who have started their own companies courtesy of David Macharia.
With the changing economies in Africa, people are now more focused on skills. This has seen different people and institutions emerge with a drive to mentor young people and equip them with skills, such as David Macharia of Versatile Photographers.
