Photography is an interesting art. Interesting especially if you were to learn about it from the perspective of someone whose passion for photography oozes through when they talk about it.
One such person is none other than Mutua Matheka. He took to the podium to talk about Photography Blogging and Instagram on the afternoon of Saturday 7th November at the Digital Camp in Naivasha. And did he have nuggets of information to share with the rest of us or what!
Defining photography as the art of painting with light, Mutua shared some of the photos he has taken in his profession and the inspiration behind them. It was evident to see that once he goes behind the camera, he is very much in control.
Photography starts with the camera. Mutua, a professed Nikon user, dispelled the myth that one is bound to take a good photo only when using a professional camera. This he did by comparing a camera to a gun – the size of the gun doesn’t matter if you keep shooting blanks now, does it? A phone camera and a professional camera both have the potential of taking good photos if used skillfully.
Mutua disclosed that he is a firm crusader (to the chagrin of many) of filter effect usage in photography. He defended his preference by explaining that using filters on photos does not necessarily hide flaws because it doesn’t make a bad photo good, only a good photo better. He however emphasized that in all his photos he always chooses to trust his eye more than his camera because the eye is superior.
He also shared basic photography practices that would help even amateur photographers avoid taking unappealing photos. Practices like choosing the right angle, manipulating the lighting, keeping a good distance and avoiding clutter to focus on the item being photographed, makes all the difference. You might even be surprised to find that for a picture to come out well, all you have to do is something as simple as clean the lens of the camera! Photography is in essence not rocket science, but it is an art that requires special attention to detail – a skill that can be learned and perfected over time.
When it comes to posting pictures on Instagram Mutua advised that one should always pace their photos and avoid cramping similar photos that are only slight variations of each other on your Instagram page.
Sample some of Mutua Matheka’s ingenious photography on his blog
Image Credit: twitter.com/kachwanya