African Photo Magazine issue #3

The Baby Bump 

Shoot The new vogue 

in fashion photography 

A note from P.A.K 

Newly elected Chairman shares his vision 

for a vibrant photography community 

+ 

GIVEAWAYS!! 

Photography Tips 

Resources & Info 

DECEMBER 

2015 

ISSUE #3 

Local Perspectives. African Insights. 

Postcards 

to Nairobi 

The fashion scene 

coming of age 

The 

African 

Fashion 

Photog 

Edition 

Extended 65 PAGES 

Photographer Showcase

FROM US TO YOU 

SWAG 

With a TWIST 

{ 

{ 

WE ARE GIVING AWAY 

*MICHAEL ‘WRAGGZ’ MURAGE 

TO 5 LUCKY WINNERS! 

PAGE85 

DETAILS 

ON 

*Not his body, just his skills for a few hours of his time

A message from 

The Chair 

Stephen Nderitu 

Photographer’s 

Association of 

Kenya (PAK) 

6 

Baby 

Bump 

PREGNANCY FASHION 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

GAINING GROUND 

12 

GRANTS 

HOW TO 

QUALIFY FOR 

FINANCIAL 

ASSISTANCE 

8 

THE LUCIE 

FOUNDATION 

THE PROJECT 

LAUNCH 

THE VSCO ARTIST 

INITIATIVE 

UP 

AND 

COMING 

MANOJ SHAH 

+ SHABANI 

80 

The men behind 

Ace of 

Face & 

Hair 

Victor Wachira Wakahihia 

and Charles Nderitu 

87

Tutorial & 

Tips 

84 

DOWNLOAD THE FIRST 

AND SECOND ISSUES OF 

AFRICAN PHOTO MAGAZIINE 

TODAY 

10 

Africa’s 

photography 

history 

PART 3 

David Beatty | Adele Dejak | Aprelle Duany 

POSTCARDS 

TO NAIROBI 

90 

Conversations on Nairobi Fashion

MITCHENER 

BEATTY 

BONNA 

MURIU 

WRAGGZ 

NCUBE 

SINARE 

ZOEB 

The 

fashion 

photographer 

edition 

14 

EXTENDED 65 PAGE SHOWCASE

Letter 

from the 

Editor 

Welcome to the 3rd Issue of African Photo 

Magazine! 

When it became clear that the magazine was 

ready for a Pan-African issue, I decided that the 

most logical place to start was to showcase 

fashion. With all that Africa has to offer, its 

people are by far the most beautiful feature 

of this great continent. 

Fashion is an outer expression of the inner 

self. Fashion is the visual identity of the 

wearer. It informs on the cultural, inspirational, 

aspirational and emotional cues of the wearer. 

Fashion, very much like the news articles of the 

day, informs as to the current state of affairs of 

the people. Today we stand tall and proud, in 

all our beauty and in who we are as a people. 

Today I present to you our beautiful African 

brothers and sisters as seen through the lenses 

of our African photographers. I have prepared 

a delectable spread of 65 pages from a select 

group of eight photographers. We feature the 

famed Reze Bonna, a regular contributor to 

Allure and Vogue Italia and a special mention 

must be made of Thandiwe Muriu, our only 

lady photographer in the panel. In between, 

there is David Beatty and Teddy Mitchener who 

now call Africa home and our brothers Michael 

Murage, Thomson Ncube, Ali Zoeb and Osse 

Sinare rounding off this very impressive group. 

Every single one of these photographers were so gracious 

in being a part of this issue, their very busy calendars 

notwithstanding, and for that I salute every one of them! 

I also have in my sights, up and coming photographers 

Neha Manoj Shah and Papa Shabani and I look forward to 

what they bring to this genre of photography. 

Additionally in this issue, we continue our walk through 

Africa’s photography history, because as the old cliché goes, 

“You cannot know where you are going if you do not know 

where you came from.” We also take a look as to how far 

fashion photography is pushing the envelope, from black 

is now beautiful to heavy with child being the new fashion 

vogue! We round off with several postcards from Nairobi 

that chronicle the journey the fashion industry is taking, in 

tandem with the rest of Africa, by having a sit-down with 

individuals within the industry giving us a glimpse into their 

own personal journeys. The accompanying fashion event of 

the year, the launch of Republi.ke in Nairobi, wraps up the 

magazine with a snapshot of fashion coming of age in 

the region. 

This 3rd Issue has been an absolute labor of love, taking 

much longer to compile than the prior two issues but I 

suspect you will agree, well worth the wait. In the spirit of 

fashion, I changed my editorial image, and after this read, 

I encourage you, fellow African, in all your beautiful shades 

of deepest black to palest white, to celebrate the beautiful 

you that you are! 

The Editor, 

AFRICANPHOTOMAGAZINE 4

Publishers: 

House of Fotography 

Editor: 

Sharon Mitchener 

Copy Editor: 

Kimunya Mugo | leadbychoice.co 

Layout Designer: 

Christina N. Mugambi | nkirotemugambi.com 

Editorial Offices: 


P.O. Box 25190-00603 Nairobi, Kenya 

Tel: (+254) 702.680.797 | 714.745.924 

hello@fotohouse.co.ke 

A SPECIAL THANKS 

TO THE FOLLOWING: 

Launch of 

Republi.ke 

EVENTS 

94 

86 

AWARDS 

ELIGIBILITY 


REQUIREMENTS 

SUBMISSION DEADLINES 

With a Grand Prize of 120,000 USD 

THE HAMDAN INTERNATIONAL 

PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD claims 

the title of ‘Richest Photography 

Award in the World.’ Find out how to 

enter plus competition information 

for Nikon & Sony Awards. 

To all the photographers, artists and stylists who 

contributed towards this 3rd Issue; the passion 

and graciousness displayed makes this a truly 

robust edition 

To Adele Dejak and Aprelle Duany for 

enthusiastically sharing their personal journeys, 

and David Beatty for his introspective on the 

fashion industry and its impact on photography 

To the Photographers Association of Kenya 

(PAK) for its continued support of this 

magazine and its relentless pursuit of a vibrant 

photography community in Kenya and beyond 

And 

Ultimately, to our Almighty God for 

His continued favor and faithfulness 

The views expressed in this magazine should only 

be ascribed to the authors concerned and do not 

necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. 

The printing of an advertisement in this 

magazine does not necessarily mean that the 

publishers endorse the companies or 

organizations, product or service. 

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine 

may be reproduced by any means without 

permission in writing from the publishers. 

© 2015

TOWARDS 

A VIBRANT 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

COMMUNITY 

IN KENYA 

AND 

BEYOND 

A message from Stephen Nderitu 

Photographer’s Association of Kenya (PAK) 

Chair (2015, 2016) 

DEC 

2012 

ideas into 

action 

PAK registers as group for 

Professional Photographers

For many years, photography has been 

considered a ‘weird’ profession, alongside 

poetry, design, animation and art, because of 

its exclusive and creative nature. We have been 

seen as the outliers (read Malcom Gladwel’s 

book, Outliers) who are only remembered at 

weddings, birthdays and corporate events. 

But things are changing now. 

This magazine is just one of the signs that the 

Kenyan market has a lot to offer in terms of 

artistic expression, business solutions, social 

change and family memories – all through 

photography. We all know the joke that if you 

throw a stone in Nairobi, you will hit a model, a 

DJ or a photographer! The good news is, there 

is room for us all. 

We registered the Photographer’s Association 

of Kenya (PAK) in 2012, following two years of 

meet-ups and drinks-ups. We started off with 

handpicked officials in 2013, then in 2014 we 

had our first elections. Now we had the second 

AGM this year and got a new team on board. 

We have been preaching the gospel of a 

united community of Kenyan photographers. 

This is a hard gospel for creatives because 

we rarely work well in groups. We thrive 

in our cocoons, basking in our individual 

victories and glory. This blinds us from 

seeing the power and strength in numbers. 

Many professionals have associations, 

guilds or societies – whether public, private, 

government regulated or self-regulating. 

Photographers need to embrace this 

association and the objectives it has set if 

they want much more respect in the market 

as professionals. 

Quite often I meet strangers with a camera 

and ask them if they have joined PAK, keeping 

the promise to myself to preach the gospel 

of the association at the slightest chance. For 

those who need to understand why we exist, 

I will outline our five key objectives from a 

broad sense. 

KEY OBJECTIVES 

First of all, the biggest strength in numbers comes through 

collective bargaining from camera and accessories suppliers, 

government, sellers, printers, venues and many others. This 

means we can get discounts, incentives and other benefits of 

having a large membership number. This is also helpful when 

photographers rights and intellectual property are violated. 

The second objective is capacity building, which some call 

training. We are already equipping our members through 

training, practical sessions and workshops, especially 

through PAK ‘Plug-Ins’. These are photography training 

sessions hosted at least twice every month. This way our 

members become better in their photography, business and 

soft skills. 

Thirdly, we have community impact. This community of 

photographers does not just exist to grow skill and help 

members to make money. This would be a false end. But we 

want to improve lives, cause a positive change and have a 

lasting impact and impression on various community issues 

like policy and governance, health, climate change and 

environment, family life, finance, religion and other spheres 

of life. 

The other very important objective for PAK is collaboration 

with other players in the creative and communication 

industry. Professionals who work very closely with 

photography in reportage, journalism, communication, 

science, arts and creative–all need to work very closely with 

photographers. Hanging out with like-minded people means 

that we become better at what we do and have longer 

lasting impact in our work. 

Finally, PAK exists to empower photographers through 

resource mobilisation to actualize our goals. As an 

association we can marshal support, seek funding and access 

bank facilities and other means to help our members achieve 

their dreams. The best place to pursue such is through 

government recognized association-PAK. 

It is from this point that I ask all Kenyan photographers to 

visit www.pak.co.ke and join this growing association so that 

we can secure our industry and protect our interest as people 

with a common ethos – photography. Our doors are open to 

hobbyists, beginners, semi-professional and the veterans – 

everyone is invited! 

strength in 

numbers 

Current PAK membership 

is 155 Photographers 

capacity 

building 

Training sessions hosted 

twice every month 

community 

impact 

Positive change through 

community engagement

Photographers make images. Visionaries teach 

you how to see. The Lucie Foundation is proud to 

support emerging talent with vision, with dynamic 

ideas that challenge and progress the art form 

of still photography into work that compels. Our 

support of photography is broad, from Fine Art 

to Documentary and Photojournalism, digital 

to film-based works. Our concern is to support 

emerging visionaries producing work that is at 

once gripping, and original. 

The Lucie Foundation offers three cash grants 

to support the work of emerging photographers 

– one $2,500 scholarship with an open theme 

and two $1000 scholarships for photographers 

working in the fields of Fine Art or Documentary/ 

Photojournalism. 

This scholarship is open to all genres of 

photographic work and will be given to an 

individual to create or continue work on a specific 

dynamic project. 

Submission period: 

November 2015 – February 2016. 

APPLICATION FEE: $20.00 

luciefoundation.org 

The Project Launch is granted to an outstanding photographer 

working in fine art series or documentary project. The grant 

includes a cash award to help complete or disseminate the 

works, as well as providing a platform for exposure and 

professional development opportunities. 

This grant is awarded to complete or nearly completed projects 

that would benefit from the grant award package. It requires 

signature of a contract to participate in an exhibition during 

Review Santa Fe. 

2016 Award Package 

FIRST PLACE 

• $5,000 Cash Award (some restrictions apply) 

• Exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) 

• Exhibition at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC) 

• Complimentary participation in Review Santa Fe 

• Santa Fe Photographic Workshops tuition voucher 

(some restrictions apply) 

• A Photographer’s Showcase from photo-eye 

• Special invitation to participate in the Art Photo Index 

• Lenscratch publication 

• Online exhibition at VisitCenter.org 

Submission period: 

December 2015 – January 2016. 

visitcenter.org/project-launch 

The VSCO Artist Initiative is a $1,000,000USD grant and 

movement of solidarity that provides artists the resources to pursue 

their creative vision, no matter what the medium. The Initiative 

honors art and artist by discovering, funding, advising, 

and promoting creatives from all corners of the globe. 

Artists who are chosen to take part in the Initiative will document 

their ideation and creation process by posting images to their 

Grid, publishing updates to their Journal, and collaborating with 

the VSCO team on promotions and projects. Open to artists of 

all mediums, the Initiative seeks to continue growing a creative 

movement built on integrity and artistry. 

Submission period: submission accepted on a rolling basis. 

recipient’s potential to contribute to the medium in its largest sense. 

vsco.co/initiative 


OF DRONES 

& CURRENT 

LEGISLATION 

Established in 2010, the Addis Foto Fest 

biannual is a photography festival that is 

directed by award winning photographer 

Aida Muluneh. Produced by Desta for Africa 

(DFA), the weeklong international festival is 

held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and features 

exhibitions, portfolio review, conferences, 

projections and film screenings. Through the 

participation of the continental and as well 

the international photography community their 

main objective is to support the development, 

dissemination and promotion of imagery 

from Africa. 

The Organizers are always looking for 

submissions from the global photography 

community, if you are interested in participating 

in the next edition that will take place 

December 2016, send: 

your biography, 

self portrait, 

ten sample images and 

description of your collection to 

addisfotofest@gmail.com. 

Please label all your files with your full name 

and country. Along with the label 

AFF 2016 SUBMISSIONS in the subject 

line of the email. 

awards 

DETAILS ON PAGE 86 

& competitions 

UPDATE 

There has been a tremendous amount 

of interest from aerial photographers on 

what the official policy is regarding the 

operations of drones and the necessary 

licensing requirements. The Kenya 

Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the 

agency mandated to license the drones, 

said those flying them are doing so 

illegally, and through Communications 

Manager Mutia Mwandikwa, KCAA 

said its hands were tied because of lack 

of a regulatory framework. 

On 2 July 2015, KCAA held a 

consultative stakeholders meeting 

to frame a policy around this issue, 

and a select committee that was setup 

after this first meeting, to consolidate 

viewpoints and draft an updated draft 

regulatory framework for a second 

stakeholders forum was to be held 

before September 2015. This second 

meeting was to finalize on issues such 

as operator training required, licenses 

and approvals needed. 

To date, the second meeting is yet to be 

held and there appears to be a stalemate 

between KCAA and the Department of 

Defense (DoD) over who is ultimately 

to issue the required licenses and 

control the airspace. 

African Photo Magazine will continue 

to monitor the issue and report the 

status until resolution of the matter. 

Local Perspectives. African Insights.

Our walk 

through 

Africa’s 

photography 

history 

Part 3 

Continuation from Issue #2 

Dr. T. Jack Thompson visited the Centre of African 

Studies, University of Edinburgh, in May 2003 to share 

his research project on the history of photography in 

Africa. Below are fascinating excerpts from Images of 

Africa: Photography in the Nineteenth Century:. 

With the advent of digital photography we have 

become used to the snapshot: the quickly taken, 

informal photograph, with a minimum of fuss or 

perhaps even forethought. In the late nineteenth 

century, however, photographic equipment was heavy 

and hard to handle. Exposures were comparatively 

long, and developing and fixing were complicated and 

(in tropical Africa) often uncomfortable activities. Take, 

for example, the following brief account from the diary 

of a young Scottish engineer in Malawi in the 1880s. 

“Saturday 21st June [1884] Rose at 7am and devoted 

the day to photography – took three views in all and 

developed them but not very successfully. My darkroom 

consisted of blankets sewed together and hung over 

the table, but it was too dark and I could not follow the 

developing and had just to keep the developer moving till 

I thought the plate was developed.” 

One consequence of this was that photographs were 

generally well thought out; they were not ‘snapped’ 

instinctively, but more often planned and posed. 

We can be fairly certain, therefore, that the missionary 

photographs which have come down to us in 

their thousands, are not a random assortment of 

snapshots. Rather, they represent the deliberate 

reflection of Europe of Africa. 

When we think of manipulation we most commonly 

think of changing or enhancing the photographic 

image (as is the case today with editing in 

Photoshop, for example). Photographs can be 

equally seriously distorted, however, by the text 

which accompanies them. This is particularly the 

case where the subject of the photograph is exotic, 

and unknown to the viewer. Such a photograph 

on its own may produce a variety of reactions in 

those who see it. When it is accompanied by a 

caption, however, the viewer is led along a particular 

path – invited (sometimes compelled) to take up a 

particular stance vis-à-vis the image. 

Since almost all missionary photographs published 

in Europe were accompanied by captions, the nature 

of the captions largely determined the nature of 

the reaction to the visual image. One such group of 

captions usually accompanied the ‘before and after’ 

photographs (see articles chronicled in Issue #1 & #2 

of this magazine). In those examples we saw the 

‘before’ photo as captioned ‘the natives as they are 

at home or in captivity’, and the ‘after’ photograph 

bears the caption ‘the natives when civilized’ and in 


Left to right: 

Typical Ngoni girls 

Women in Matabeleland 

Robert Laws and others 

European attire. Thus the implied contrast between the 

two photographs is heightened, and the clear message 

is presented that the African(s) in the first photograph 

are uncivilized. 

There is, however, a more subtle form of textual 

manipulation, which is referred to as the ‘Anonymous 

African Syndrome’. In such photo texts the Africans are 

stripped of their identity – either by being presented 

as mere types – Women in Matebeleland – or by being 

given merely their ‘Christian’ names – David, Mary or 

Samuel, without any reference to their African names – 

either personal or family. 

Two perfect examples, both appearing in a classic 

missionary biography called Laws of Livingstonia can 

be used to illustrate this. The first photograph is of 

two important Ngoni women. The two women in 

the photograph are Mary Chipeta and Emily Nhlane, 

married to an important Ngoni chief, Mtwalo Jere. 

Yet when the photograph was published the caption 

merely read, ‘Typical Ngoni Girls.’ 

The second example, from the same book, records 

an occasion of considerable importance in the life 

of the local church. It shows the first three African 

ministers of the Livingstonia mission on the day 

of their ordination, together with their missionary 

teachers and mentors. The three new African ministers 

Yesaya Zerenji Mwasi, Hezekiah Mavuvu Tweya and 

Jonathan P. Chirwa are placed on chairs in front 

of their mentors, indicating their centrality on this 

occasion. But the caption which accompanies the 

photo reads ‘Rev. A.G. MacAlpine, Rev. Dr. Elmslie, 

Rev. Dr. Laws, Yesaya, Hezekiah, Jonathan’. While the 

European missionaries have been given their full 

titles, the African ministers have not been accorded 

the dignity of either their full names, or their clerical 

titles – in spite of the fact that the photograph was 

taken specifically to mark the occasion of their 

ordination as Christian ministers. 

Enter, the colonial Era… In the late nineteenth and 

early twentieth centuries missionary photography 

was a powerful tool in creating images of Africa 

in Europe. At the time, they were often accepted 

as literal representations of reality, rather than a 

particular interpretation of a specific context. 

In our next issue, we continue our walk through 

history as we move from the missionary period 

to the colonial era. We will continue to see how 

photographs of Africans were used to evoke 

powerful emotions, and they almost always 

represented a particular slant on reality. 

To be continued 


PREG 

NAN 

NEW 

VOGUE IN 

FASHION 

PHOTO 

CYTHE 

Photography of the pregnant forms came screaming and screeching on 

the world stage with the shooting of the Demi Moore Vanity Fair Cover 

August 1991. The photograph taken by famed photographer Annie 

Leibovitz. Demi was seven months pregnant and wearing nothing but 

covering her body with her arms and hands. This is one of the most 

established and highly rated best magazine covers of all time. At 

the time, stores refused to sell the magazine and others hid it away 

among porn magazines. The photo, for good and bad reasons has 

become the most popular pregnancy photographs to date and 

triggered a trend of taking provocative pregnancy photos and 

had a lasting cultural impact. 

Fast forward to 2015 and we find the fashion industry 

embracing and even pushing the visibility of pregnant 

women. This year’s London Fashion Week, designer 

Alice Temperley sent two expectant models 

down the runway in sequined evening wear 

and combat boots. Last year Chanel 

closed its haute couture show with 

a pregnant model dressed in 

neoprene wedding gown. 


1991 

Demi Moore 

Vanity Fair 

Magazine Cover: 

Stores refuse to sell 

the magazine and others 

hid it away among porn 

magazines. 

2015 

Alice Temperley 

London Fashion 

Week: 

Two expectant models 

sent down the runway in 

sequined evening wear 

and combat boots. 

Fashion Industry insiders have various 

interpretations of the pregnant model trend. 

Some say its just a way to keep using top 

models even during the course of their 

pregnancies, but maybe, its saying 

something deeper about what the fashion 

world finds beautiful. “While thin models 

will always be the norm in fashion, its 

notable that an industry so obsessed 

with skinny has not only become more 

accepting of the fuller form and the 

bump, but also actually celebrates 

motherhood by casting pregnant women 

for some of the biggest fashion stages,” 

New York Magazine’s Amy Odell is reported 

to say. 

As the diversity conversation starts getting 

louder, designers and the fashion industry 

at large are broadening their thinking. They 

are redefining what body types to cast. Pregnant 

ones seem to be in vogue. In clothing ads, fashion 

campaigns and now, on the catwalk. 

From ancient times, the womans body has been 

obsessed over, reviled, hidden, glamorized. The 

public discourse over how women should look, 

and feel, has objectified women in a variety 

of mostly negative ways. Therefore, when 

the fashion industry chooses to focus on 

how gorgeous a woman looks during 

pregnancy, it can only be seen as a 

positive shift in the discussion. 

Maybe this trend will have a positive 

trickle-down effect. This is a sign of a 

greater acceptance of the female form 

and women’s bodies as functional instead 

of just decorative. The fact that the fashion 

world sees pregnant women as beauty 

ideals can help boost the self esteem of 

women in general. The female form is most 

beautiful in all stages, but most especially 

when it is bring forth new life into this world. 


Photographer’s 

SHOW 

CA S E 

Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe! 

We are so excited to share this extended portfolio showcase with 65 pages 

of photography and photog bios highlighting the many gifted professionals 

from around the continent who contributed to this Fashion Issue. 


MITCHENER 

BEATTY 

BONNA 

MURIU 

WRAGGZ 

NCUBE 

SINARE 

ZOEB 



KENYA 

Teddy 

Mitchener 

Photographs in this showcase courtesy of Teddy Mitchener 


Teddy Mitchener is the head photographer at 

House of Fotography, based in Nairobi Kenya. 

A Washington DC native, Teddy is a self-taught 

photographer, having picked up his first 

camera in 1992 under the tutelage of his father, 

Willie Brown. For Teddy, photography is simply 

one of the many mediums he uses to express 

his creativity. A graduate of The Duke Ellington 

School of the Arts, Teddy credits the institution 

with broadening the limits of his creativity and 

instilling in him the love of other art forms such 

as plaster and stone sculpting, wood work, 

pencil drawing and painting. The merging of 

these mediums is what now informs Teddy’s 

personal projects and inspires his creative 

photography concepts. 

“The sky’s the limit with this team, for example, the ‘Body Fruit’ 

concept pushed us to produce a fashion piece where we body 

painted a woman’s bare behind with ‘fruit clothing’ as a fashion 

statement, and now, that’s art!“ 

“In closing, all I can really say is that I am still here, I am still 

standing because of the faithfulness of God and a strong 

passion and a belief in myself and the art that beats deep 

within my soul. Follow your passion and never, ever give up.” 

fotohouse.co.ke 

instagram.com/fotohouse_ke 

“I picked up photography initially as a means 

to an end, to capture imagery that I wanted 

to sculpt, draw or paint, then along the way 

I found that my love for photography was 

deepening. It was however not until I relocated 

to Nairobi in 2009 that I became a fully fledged 

photographer. The transition from being a 

train technician in Washington DC by day and 

amateur photographer by night, to a fulltime 

photographer in Nairobi has not been an easy 

one. There has been a lot of tears and heart 

ache, a lot of struggle and a lot of prayer and 

fasting, but God is faithful, and here I am!” 

“I love pushing the boundaries and blending 

the different art mediums to produce thought 

provoking concepts,” continues Teddy. “One of 

the greatest benefits of appreciating other art 

forms is that it drives me to incorporate them 

into my photography concepts and allows me 

to partner up with similarly like-minded artists 

to come up with truly collaborative works that 

call out the best in each of us. My showcase has 

been a labor of love produced in partnership 

with makeup artists Victor Wakahihia and 

Charles Nderitu of Ace of Face & Hair, artists 

that I have spent the last three years in search 

of, and thanks to Suzie Wokabi of Suzie Beauty, 

have finally found!” 

SEE PAGE 87 

Learn more about Ace of Face & Hair Team 

Charles Nderitu & Victor Wachira Wakahihia 




“ 

The ‘Body Fruit’ concept 

pushed us to produce a 

fashion piece where we 

body painted a woman’s 

bare behind with ‘fruit 

clothing’ as a fashion 

statement. 

Teddy Mitchener 

” 




David 

Beatty 

KENYA 



Photographs in this showcase courtesy of David Beatty

David Beatty was born and raised in England. His travels 

have taken him through India and Sri Lanka, large chunks 

of Central Asia, and many parts of Africa. His travel pictures 

have appeared in Asiaweek, Time Magazine, Time-Life Books, 

The Observer Magazine, The Geographical, GEO, and The 

Smithsonian Magazine. His first foray into Africa was as a safari 

guide and a free lance photographer on an overland client 

safari from London to Cape Town in 1970. 

By the mid-1980s, Sri Lanka had become David’s temporary 

home, and in the mid-1990s he met the famed Kenyan 

photojournalist, Mohammed Amin in London. Amin wanted to 

visit Sri Lanka and invited David to contribute his photographs 

for a book. Amin then asked Beatty to take pictures in Eritrea, 

Uganda and Madagascar, and eventually suggested this could 

be more easily done if David used Nairobi as his base. Beatty 

bought more equipment, applied for a work permit and 

arrived in Kenya. Six weeks later, Amin crashed to his death in 

the Comoros Islands and David had to reorient himself as the 

elaborate plans he had with Amin came to an abrupt halt. 

Switching from travel photography in the great outdoors to 

the confines of a studio, Beatty rapidly turned himself into a 

successful studio photographer. He calls it ‘making pictures 

rather than taking pictures.’ His biggest challenge was to learn 

about studio lighting, which he saw as a ‘big box of toys to play 

with.’ In order to achieve his new goal, he studied lighting in 

films. One of his favourites being the Oscar-winning romance, 

Casablanca set in Morocco’s city of the same name which later 

became a source of inspiration. 

In the 1990’s the fashion industry in Kenya was in its infancy. It 

was around this David began working on advertising projects. 

He became popularly known for his work on Nivea Visage and 

made his name in the field of beauty products. Gradually he 

built up a good portfolio, leading to photographs of the Kenya 

Smirnoff Fashion Awards in 2002. The winning design was a 

dress made of strips of camera film: it was as though he could 

see his career alive on the catwalk. 

Becoming an established fashion photographer was purely 

coincidental when Media 24 out of South Africa offered David 

the opportunity to work on the 10-page fashion spreads for 

True Love and Adam magazines, in 2004. “What distinguishes 

a fashion photographer from all others is the freedom to 

imagine and craft stories and shoot images that transport the 

viewer to another place and time.” Sometimes the story leaps 

into his mind as soon as he sees the clothes to be featured in 

the shoot. At other times the story is collaboration with his 

editor or designer. Has the girl been jilted? Is she waiting for 

her lover? In all cases, Beatty uses cinematic narrative to bring 

about uniquely imaginative and often startling results. His 

pictures are full of magic and mystery, drawing you in to an 

exotic world of dreams. 

What distinguishes a 

fashion photographer 

from all others is the 

freedom to imagine 

and craft stories and 

shoot images that 

transport the viewer 

to another place 

and time. 

David Beatty 

“ 

” 





Despite being of the ‘old school’, David did 

not find challenge of ‘going digital’ difficult. 

He found it easy as it was far more immediate. 

Instead of working with polaroids to see if his 

lighting worked, or if the model was exactly 

where he wanted her, digital got him instant 

results. Rather, by far his biggest challenge as 

a professional photographer in this region is 

getting technical backup and spares for his 

equipment. 

David’s career-span makes him a living legend 

in the world of African photography. His 

career influencers reveal his true identity as 

a classical photographer. David names Ernst 

Hass and Henri Cartier-Bresson as his sources 

of inspiration. Ernst Haas (1921–1986) is 

acclaimed as one of the most celebrated and 

influential photographers of the 20th century 

and considered one of the pioneers of color 

photography. Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908– 

2004) was a photographer whose humane, 

spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism 

as an art form… look them up! 

Fast forward to the present day, and David still resides in 

Kenya but is more involved with ecological projects and is 

the founder of DEEP, a centre for Diversity Ecology Ethics 

and Practice. His current projects focus on marginalized 

communities threatened by climate change and ill-conceived 

development projects that disrupt the natural balance of 

complex eco-communities like mangrove forests, semi-arid 

zones, and river deltas. 

His advice to fashion photographers? “Pay attention to 

everything in the world around you. Fashion can too often 

seem to celebrate an artificial narcissistic world limited to 

elites. Learn to tell stories grounded in reality. There is beauty 

even in the harsher realities of this world.” 

Contributor: Rhodia Mann 

davidbeattyphotography.format.com 


Photographs in this showcase courtesy of Reze Bonna 


Reze 

NIGERIA 

Bonna 



Reze Bonna’s photography captures time, space and 

expression with a unique blend of light, colour and contrast. 

Reze has a gift of finding beauty in everyone and everything. 

He doesn’t believe any picture should be taken the same way 

twice, and his continually pushing the boundaries always 

results in unique and interestingly different images. 

A trained architect/photographer, Reze studied in South 

Africa and currently runs a fashion/ architectural photography 

outfit servicing a number of agencies in that country, and 

he is fast becoming one of the forces to reckon with in the 

fashion industry on the African continent. Reze is a founding 

member of the group REZolution which is a collective of 

creative photographers, and a member of the Camera 

Club of Johannesburg. Interestingly, Reze is also an artiste 

representative and music producer and has worked with 

various artistes including gospel singers Kirk Franklin, Chevelle 

Franklyn, Cece Winans, Fred Hammond as well as other stars 

such as Shaggy and Ne-Yo. 

Crediting his artistic eye to a combination of creative genes, 

natural instincts and a formal education in architecture and 

photography, Reze’s breathtaking images have appeared in an 

impressive number of high-end publications such as Vogue 

Italia, GQ South Africa, Vanguard Allure and OK magazines, 

to name a few. His star-studded list of clientele includes 

President Clinton, Piers Morgan, Alek Wek, Roberto Cavalli, 

Mariah Carey, Leonardo Dicaprio, P Square, Davido, WizKid, 

Don Jazzy, again to name just a few. 

To Reze, the barriers that exist, exit to be broken and are a 

constant challenge to overcome. In Africa particularly, he 

finds a people still plagued by a fear of risk taking, cultural 

barriers, lack of professional affordable equipment and an 

unhealthy desire to please. Reze sees a Continent that seems 

to concentrate more on the passing generations than the 

emerging ones, hence seldom inventing new things. Reze sees 

this as a paradox, because all the challenges in Africa present 

enormous opportunities to excel against those operating in 

already developed societies. 

Reze’s advice to aspiring African photographers is for them 

to know their purpose, identify their style, hone their skills, 

and study the profession and love tools of the trade. Reze 

famously states, “equipment does not make the art, people 

do.” He believes that individuality, knowing one’s worth and 

carving one’s niche are the traits that underline one’s success. 

Reze encourages photographers to try not to be like others but 

operate in their own style to set themselves apart. 

Never be satisfied 

because the moment 

you get to that point 

will be the moment 

you start dying. 

Reze Bonna 

“ 

” 

“Never be satisfied because the moment you get to that point 

will be the moment you start dying.” 

rezebonna.com/ 

instagram.com/rezebonna 






Photographs in this showcase courtesy of Thandiwe Muriu 


Thandiwe Muriu 

KENYA


Thandiwe is a self taught Kenyan photographer passionate 

about showcasing the diverse textures and tones that give 

beauty to faces of different social groups across the globe. 

Drawing from her fascination with facial structure, she 

incorporates the use bold colors, lighting and contrast to 

produce her distinct images. 

“ 

To carve out your 

niche and succeed 

in the photography 

market you must be 

diligent and persistent. 

No matter how 

discouraged or tired 

you get, you must 

keep going. Always 

keep learning - you 

can never learn and 

know enough. 

She began her journey at just 14yrs old when her father 

introduced her to the world of photography and the world of 

fashion by her older sister. “My older sister had a huge Vogue 

magazine collection so when I started out Vogue magazine was 

my principal reference point. Everything I did was in an attempt 

to recreate the images like those I saw in the magazines. I have 

always loved the grainy, film-like feel they have.” 

Since then she has sought to relentlessly grow her skill 

leading her to be awarded both Portraiture Photographer 

and Most Promising Young Photographer of the Year 2013 at 

the Kenya Photography Awards. Thandiwe’s main influences 

have been Julia Noni, Victoria Stutz and Yulia Gorbanchenko 

and the success they have achieved in the male dominated 

industry. “As a woman in this industry I have had to learn how 

to be confident about my skill and go out and look for jobs. 

Something that I think comes more naturally to men.” 

Thandiwe has embarked on developing her signature 

photography style through various personal projects. Some of 

her personal projects have been featured on Behance. As well 

as working on her personal projects, Thandiwe also teaches 

photography and retouching workshops in the region. 

“To carve out your niche and succeed in the photography 

market you must be diligent and persistent. No matter how 

discouraged or tired you get, you must keep going. Always 

keep learning - you can never learn and know enough. Dedicate 

some of your time to also learning general business skills. 

Photographers are business men and women after all!” 

thandiwemuriu.com 

behance.net/ThandiweMuriu 

Thandiwe Muriu 

” 






KENYA 

Michael 

Wraggz 

Murage 

Photographs in this showcase courtesy of Michael Murage 



Wraggz is a professional photographer who has over five years 

experience in the photography business. He has traveled all over 

Kenya on assignments for some of the most successful companies in 

the country. 

Wraggz is a multi-disciplined photographer who is also an ‘Ad 

man’ (Creative Director). He is comfortable and actively involved 

with shooting across a range of genres and mixing design with 

photography. Wraggz is self-taught and has mastered the craft of 

photography from the ground up, through hours and hours of online 

video tutorials. Wraggz’s interest in photography came when he got 

his first film camera and as an Ad man, he loved to work with great 

pictures on his assignments, and what started out as a hobby became 

a full-time professional photography practice. 

Over time Wraggz has found his niche in composite photography. 

This is a practice of superimposing two or more separate photographs 

to create a single image. He believes in creating engaging images 

and breaking all the rules as far as photography is concerned. He 

has now mastered the art of composites and is always continuously 

developing new story ideas for his composites. 

Wraggz took up composites rather easily, having had a lot of 

experience in advertising design. He merged his design skill and 

photography to create images that were extraordinary, thought 

provoking and that told a story. He spends hours planning his story 

lines, prepping his models and make-up artist and executing the 

concept of the day. Some composites are easy to put together, 

however the process can become complex depending on the number 

of images being merged together and the process oftentimes 

can take up to thirty hours from shoot to final image production. 

“Nothing is impossible, if in your heart it has been declared possible,” 

emphatically states Wraggz, whose only challenge in this whole 

process is how his models will be lit, posed and dressed so that they 

fit into his environments. 

The one thing he enjoys the most when crafting his images is 

the response he gets from his online fans and fellow peers in the 

photography industry. Folks are keen to know where he sources his 

backgrounds and how he goes about the process of compositing. 

Wraggz has come to find that over time he doesn’t have to travel far 

and wide looking for backgrounds and environments and he always 

encourage those interested in composites to search online on Google 

and royalty-free sites for images that they can use to bring their 

concepts to life. So be it a product, fashion or Ad campaign, Wraggz 

is able to shoot and merge the image into a serious composite that 

brings out a story that is engaging. 

“ 

Nothing is 

impossible, 

if in your 

heart it has 

been declared 

possible. 

Wraggz 

” 

michaelmurimi.com 

instagram.com/wraggz 








Thomson 

Ncube 

ZIMBABWE 

Photographs in this showcase courtesy of Thomson Ncube 


Ncube is a Zimbabwean born photographer who 

moved to Kenya in 1999 to pursue his studies at 

Daystar University. He thereafter worked for seven 

years in advertising and, in his own words, “Got 

bored.” Recalling being in Masaai Mara, he was more 

interested in taking pictures of the tourists and their 

large cameras rather than animals. Photography was 

the hobby Thomson Ncube was searching for which 

turned into a fully fledged business under Thomson 

Photography. 

Ncube’s jump into the photography scene began by 

attending a fashion show in Prestige Plaza on a whim 

and the Samantha Bridal Show held in Sarit Centre, 

both in Kenya. This is the time Ncube met Gibson 

Maina and David Macharia who helped and taught him 

about photography. Gibson and David shot weddings 

primarily, so in his learning on the job, Ncube 


Do you! People book you for 

your style so if you shoot for 

other people’s style, you will 

end up being inconsistent 

and lose who you are. 

Thomson Ncube 

“ 

” 

accompanied them to weddings and inevitably started 

shooting his own weddings. 

After a while, Ncube wanted to learn more about 

wedding and fashion photography. The most 

interesting experience he remembers was learning 

from Brett Florens (South African photographer) 

regarded by Nikon as one of the World’s most 

influential photographers. “So I stalked him on 

Facebook until Brett accepted my invitations.” It was 

at a photography expo in South Africa, which he 

attended with Gibson Maina and David Macharia, 

that Ncube began to learn about the business end 

of wedding photography, which also applies to the 

business of photography in general. 

Being more fashion photography oriented, Ncube 

strives to fuse a fashion element to his wedding 

photography saying, “I love fashion photography, but 

the fashion industry locally is not big enough to make 

a profit from it, which is the reality of the industry at 

the moment.” 

The one thing Ncube would advise someone getting 

into the photography world is to shoot for oneself. This, 

for Ncube, was one of the best things he learnt in his 

career. “Do you! People book you for your style so if you 

shoot for other people’s style, you will end up being 

inconsistent and lose who you are. Like any artist, there 

is a need to develop your own style, your own voice 

and unique element.” 

Contributor: The Designers Studio 

thomsonphotography.com 

instagram.com/thomsonphotography 






TANZANIA 

Osse 

Greca 

Sinare 



Photographs in this showcase courtesy of Osse Greca Sinare

Born and raised in Tanzania, Osse discovered his love 

for photography while studying for his business degree 

in Malaysia. What started out as a hobby capturing 

images while trying out different styles of photography 

grew into something serious and long-term with a 

strong bias towards fashion photography. 

Osse says his work is inspired by many things he 

experiences and sees from day to day activities; an 

abandoned apartment or children playing in the 

playground would instantly trigger an idea for him 

to try out. He also spends countless hours on-line 

searching for inspiration from other photographers, 

artists and photography magazines. Emotions and 

feelings from his interactions with other people also 

inspire him as he use’s this to fuel his creativity. “I love 

how photography enables one to capture a moment 

in time and keep the memory alive forever. The ability 

to stare at an image and have it remind me of all the 

emotions I felt while taking it always amazes me. It is a 

great feeling.” 

Osse has successfully built a widely recognized 

brand in Tanzania. After starting out as a freelance 

photographer, he progressed to opening and 

running the hottest photography studio in Dar-es- 

Salaam, OGS Studios. Osse’s work has appeared in Ad 

campaigns for international companies and high-end 

fashion magazines as well as earning him the Fashion 

Photographer of the Year award at Swahili Fashion 

Week 2012/2013. 

“When you are just starting out, be free to focus on 

different styles without the fear of failing holding 

you back. It is better to follow your passion and enjoy 

every aspect of it to improve your skills, instead of just 

focusing on doing it for the money. It takes a lot of 

practice AND a lot of trial and error to become a great 

photographer.” 

“ 

When you are just 

starting out, be free 

to focus on different 

styles without 

the fear of failing 

holding you back. 

” 

Osse Greca Sinare 

ogsstudios.com/ 

instagram.com/ogsstudios/ 







Ali 

Photographs in this showcase courtesy of Ali Zoeb 


Zoeb 

TANZANIA 


A Chemical engineer, Ali graduated from Texas A&M University, USA. He is a 

talented free spirited photographer, who lives by the moment and other than 

photography, he is a self-proclaimed foodie and hopes to be a restaurateur 

one day. 

Ali brings mood to his art with a combination of composition, light, emotion 

and grain. His work has been featured on many magazine covers and 

publications around East Africa and USA such as Bang Magazine, DarLife, Fas 

Magazine and Miss Tanzania Treasures. His photography reflects his love for 

special moments shaped by light, ambience and his philosophical approach of 

breaking photographic boundaries. 

“Photography is very close to me because it used to be my stress reliever 

during my studies. To date most of my work is done when I am in the right 

mindset rather than planning excessively for it.” Ali draws his inspiration from 

websites such as DeviantArt and 500px and one Nick Brandt, a photographer 

that totally blows him away. “I love fashion and editorial work and I have 

realized that I get pulled towards objects, which display certain emotions. 

Photography has made me realize that whatever we see has beauty. I do not 

follow rules of photography. And it has helped me think outside the box and 

express my perception more precisely.” 

Ali has a desire to change the dimension of the fashion industry in Tanzania. 

He has worked very hard over the years to lobby and change the unfair 

practices of fashion industry and states, “The models get paid very little and 

the new designers don’t pay much attention to detail and quality.” It is now his 

mission each month, to work and bring out a new model by exposing them to 

professional international standards. 

Ali treasures professionalism above all else and is very particular about timekeeping 

and it really upsets him when people don’t show up or perform on 

time. In the same vein, his overriding pet peeve is clients delaying payments 

for professional work done and he states emphatically. “As artists we have bills 

to pay just like you, so if you promise payments, make them on time.” 

Ali acknowledges that professional photography in Africa still has a long way 

to go but reiterates that the challenges are not insurmountable and suggests, 

“instead of praying to God and asking for more, why don’t we just thank him 

for giving us such a valuable life!“ 

Contributor: OGS interviews 

azhphotography.com 

facebook.com/azhphoto 




“ 

I love fashion and editorial work and I have 

realized that I get pulled towards objects, which 

display certain emotions. Photography has made 

me realize that whatever we see has beauty. 

Ali Zoeb 

” 




NEHA MANOJ SHAH 

UP AND COMING 

Neha is an upcoming fashion photographer. She 

studied fine art at the University of Loughborough in 

the UK. It was at university that she fell in love with the 

medium. “What I loved about the course I was doing, 

was that I could mix many different mediums within 

my work,” and it was then she started exploring the 

different aspects of art and photography. To Neha, 

the mixture gives wonderful effects and endless 

possibilities. Neha learnt the rules, followed the rules 

then started breaking the rules one by one. 

It was not until she came back to Kenya that she started 

taking photography seriously, learning all the technical 

aspects to get exactly what she wanted, working closely 

with her mentor and father Manoj Shah. She started 

with film photography, learning her way around the 

dark room. “I loved the whole process of developing the 

negative, with only a red light which you couldn’t even 

use to see your way around. You’d think dark rooms 

would be warm but it was always really chilly.“ 

Neha’s always had her eye on fashion photography. 

“I love the way the body moves, expresses itself, but 

more importantly it’s alive! A body is always moving, 

a camera catches the moment, how can you expertly 

combine the two to show movement in a single 

frame?” Neha also has a great love for colour and 

fashion photography uses the art of makeup wellthe 

colours on the face and body; fashion plays with 

complimentary colours, contrasting colours and loud 

colours, and the colour palette is vast and has no limits. 

Neha’s inspiration comes from photographers Laura 

Jade, Annie Leibovitz and Steven Klein and nonphotographers, 

alike, Fridah Kahlo, Tim Burton and 

Quentin Tarantino. “I like telling a story with every 

picture and let the viewer feel what they want to feel.” 

instagram.com/vienlephotography 

facebook.com/vienle.photography/ 

“ 

I love the way 

the body moves, 

expresses itself, 

but more 

importantly 

it’s alive! 

” 

Photograph courtesy of Neha Manoj Shah 


PHOTOGRAPHERS 

PAPA SHABANI 

Papa is a photographer whose Contemporary Art 

practice involves research, intimacy, expression and 

communication as a process of documenting life. 

Papa is an award winning Ugandan photographer 

(Uganda Press Photo Awards 2013 and 2014) and 

formerly a student of Margaret Trowel School of 

Industrial and Fine Arts at Makerere University (2011- 

2014). Papa was among 18 Ugandan artists selected 

from a list of 70 applicants to take part in the Kampala 

Contemporary Art Festival that ran throughout 

October 2014 in which an international jury voted for 

his project (LE STUDIO BODA-BODA) as the winner 

of the New Talent Award. This project engaged and 

documented public transport motorbike riders (bodaboda) 

in photography activities at different motorbike 

stops in Kampala. 

In addition, Papa is a communication designer using 

graphics, graffiti, fashion & watercolor painting to 

express his creativity. Papa has been an Artist-In- 

Residence at Kuona Trust Art Centre, Nairobi-Kenya 

(April 2015), 32º East/Ugandan Arts Trust on a project 

initiated by History In Progress Uganda (May-Aug 

2014), Afrika Arts Kollective (Sept-Dec 2014). Currently, 

Papa is on a self programmed residence and internship 

with Viva Con Agua-e.v in Hamburg, Germany. 

A young photographer at the early stages of his carrier, 

Papa has gained the ability to visually tell people’s 

stories through photography. He has had both solo 

and group exhibitions in Uganda and has been 

featured on websites and blogs around the world, 

including The UK Guardian website. 

pikore.com/papashotit 

twitter.com/papashotit 

Photographs courtesy of Papa Shabani 


Photography 

Tips 

10 steps 

in 10 

minutes 

Result 

after 

10 

steps 

Graphic Designers work very closely 

with photographers.There are 

occassions where a photo shoot 

is not possible and we have to 

manipulate available or supplied 

images; adjusting to the required 

layout requirement. 

This tutorial use images provided 

by Teddy Mitchener (‘Mumbi’) and 

Mwangi ‘Mwarv’ Kirubi (‘Nairobi Alley’) 

RECREATE THE FINISHED IMAGE! 

We have included the two images used to create the finished image on our FB page as JPEGs so 

you can try the technique for yourself. Click this link www.facebook.com/AfricanPhotoMagazine 

to download the images in the album named “10 Minute Treatment” and follow the steps below 

save as you go! 

Be sure to save 

changes as you 

work to avoid 

any mishaps 

Please look at your tool palettes and 

menu bars (including nested /drop down 

selections as we will be referencing: 

Magic Wand (Tools Palette) 

Lasso (Tools Palette) 

Refine Edge (below Main Menu bar) 

Free Transform (under ‘Edit’ in Main Menu) 

Hue/Saturation (under ‘Image’ in Main Menu) 

Open JPG files named ‘Mumbi’ and 

‘Nairobi Alley.’ 


STEP 

Use the Magic Wand (tolerance of 20) to make 

a quick selection of Mumbi’s background. 

Use the Lasso tool to add or exclude selection 

(hold down ‘Shift’ to ADD to and ‘Option’ to 

SUBTRACT) When entire background is selected 

go to main menu and under ‘Select’ pick 

‘Inverse’ so that now Mumbi is the selection. 

STEP 

01 02 

Click on ‘Refine Edge’ in the menu above 

the workarea to open window for custom 

adjustments. To exclude the background 

showing through Mumbi’s braids, click on 

‘Smart Radius’ and use the’ Refine Radius’ Tool 

(brush icon left of ‘Edge Detection’ options). 

Use the brush to paint all the white areas. 

STEP 

03 

At the bottom of the window, under ‘Output’ 

select ‘Decontaminate Colors’ and under 

‘Output To’ select ‘New Layer with Layer Mask’ 

Once you click ‘OK’ you will have the adjusted 

image without a background with the original 

photo remaining unedited. Go to the ‘Nairobi 

Alley’ image and pull that photo into the layer 

above the original ‘Mumbi’ image. 

STEP 

04 

Go to ‘Free Transform’ (under ‘Edit’ or 

keyboard shortcut Command T) to scale and 

proportionally fit ‘Nairobi Alley’ by holding 

‘Shift’ and pulling 1 of the 4 corners of the 

image. Use this same tool to adjust the height 

of ‘Mumbi’ in relation to the buildings and 

street. Use the ‘Move’ tool (black arrow icon in 

tool palette) to position ‘Mumbi’ in scene. 

Rename each new layer as document grows is 

a good habit of keeping track. 


STEP 

05 

Create a shadown beneath ‘Mumbi’ in new 

layer by drawing the shape with the ‘Lasso’ 

tool. Fill the selection with black (keyboard 

shortcut ‘Option + Delete’ for foreground color 

and ‘Command + Delete’ for background color). 

To remove the hard edge of the black shadow, 

go to ‘Filter’ under main menu and select 

‘Gaussian Blur’ under the ‘Blur’ options. Apply a 

blur with a radius of 10 pixels. 

STEP 

06 

Use the ‘Erase’ tool to clean up areas around 

gloved hand and boot. Select ‘Mode’ and use a 

small size brush so you can zoom in and erase 

any visible white between ‘Mumbi’ and shadow. 

Go to the main menu and select ‘Filter Gallery’ 

under the ‘Filter’ option. The filter used in 

‘Crosshatch’ and a window with adjustment 

options allows previews of changes before 

committing to result. Apply the same filter to 

‘Nairboi Alley’ image. 

STEP 

07 

The Crosshatch filter will make the sword 

almost invisible so go back to original layer of 

‘Mumbi’ and select the sword itself. Copy and 

paste onto new layer. Scale it down and erase 

the background. 

Go back to ‘Filter Gallery’ and apply to same 

‘Crosshatch’ filter to the sword itself. 

STEP 

Create new layer and fill with 

color (R 88 G 39 B 0) Apply a 

Layer Mask (third icon at bottom 

of Layer Palette) and use the 

‘Gradient’ in the Tools Palette 

on the Layer Mask to expose 

bottom 1/2 of ‘Mumbi’ image. 

Set the ‘Blending Mode’ from 

‘Normal’ to ‘Overlay’ to get a red 

hue on ‘Nairobi Alley.’ 

STEP 

08 09 

STEP 

10 

Use the ‘Type’ tool and select a font and add copy. Use the Free 

Transform tool to rotate and size text. Place the text inbetween the 

‘Nairobi Alley’ and ‘Mumbi’ layers. 

Make a duplicate of the ‘Mumbi’ layer and adjust the color by going to 

‘Hue/Saturation’ under the ‘Adjustment’ option in the ‘Image’ menu. 

Finish composition with additional text if desired. 


AMATEUR 

CORNER 

Simon Rwigi is a photographer apprentice 

FROM US 

TO YOU 

AfricanPhotoMagazine 

@african_photo 

The idea behind this shot was to play around with the camera’s 

shutter speed in order to animate a photo. My mentor and 

teacher, Teddy Mitchener, assisted with the posing and the shot. 

Camera: 

Camera 

Settings: 

Lighting 

Setup: 

Evaluative 

Metering: 

Photo 

Editing: 

Canon EOS 5D Mark 3 shooting with a 27-70mm 

(f/2.8) Ultrasonic canon lens. 

• Shutter Speed= 1/200 sec 

• Aperture value = f/8 

• I.S.O = 400 

A Three Light Setup achieved using ordinary studio 

lights on soft boxes while having the primary light 

above the subject, shooting on a white background. 

Manually done ensuring that my subject’s face was 

in focus while the rest of his body was blurred in 

simulated motion. 

A few enhancements in Photoshop by Teddy had 

the colours pop a bit more and increased the 

blurriness of the outer form of the subject in order 

to give it motion. The final Photo was intended to 

simulate shooting an athlete in flight. 

Enjoy! 

One-On-One 

ONE- 

• info about the training the 

5 winners will get with 

composite photographer 

ON-ONE 

goes here 

In this issue, we are offering 5 

lucky winners an opportunity to 

train at the master’s feet. 

Michael ‘Wraggz’ Murage will 

instruct on the steps to creating 

the perfect composite as well 

as other useful techniques. 

Become one of the lucky 

few by using the hashtag 

#WraggzByAfricanPhoto 

to win! 

African Photo Magazine wants to 

encourage our readers to share 

their unique stories and pictures and 

engage with the community growing 

around this magazine! 

#AfricanPhoto 


THE HAMDAN INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY 

AWARD’s journey continues as it now enters its fifth season. 

You’re invited to share your imaginative mind, your passion for 

your craft and push yourself to produce your best work yet. Four 

categories have been chosen which will inspire some of the world’s 

finest and most committed photographers. The Award encourages 

photographers to share their craft and demonstrate excellence in 

what is now one of the most coveted Awards in the world. 

Prizes: 

There will be five winners for each category, plus an impressive 

Grand Prize of 120,000 USD. There will be also two special awards: 

• Photography Appreciation Award: 20,000 USD 

• Photographic Research/Report Award: 25,000 USD 

Eligibility: Entries are welcome from all individuals over the age of 

18 from all over the world. 

Theme: 

Wildlife 

Deadline: 31 December 2015 

Entry: Free 

hipa.ae/en 

THE NIKON INTERNATIONAL 

SMALL WORLD COMPETITION, 

which is celebrating over 40 years of excellence 

in photography and digital imaging though the 

microscope, is dedicated to furthering excellence 

and creativity in microscopy. Combining 

skills in microscopy and photography, a 

photomicrographer is able to capture an image of 

the world that the naked eye cannot see. 

Anyone over the age of 18 interested in digital 

or film photography through the microscope is 

eligible for competition. 

Prizes: 

1st $3,000 toward the purchase of Nikon equipment. 

2nd $2,000 toward the purchase of Nikon equipment. 

3rd $1,000 toward the purchase of Nikon equipment. 

Deadline: 30 April 2016 

Entry: Free 

microscopyu.com/smallworld/registration/ 

entrypage1.aspx 

THE 2016 EDITION OF THE SONY WORLD 

PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, the world’s largest and one of the 

most respected photography competitions, is now open for entries. 

Photographers of all abilities are invited to submit work to any of the 

awards’ five competitions: Professional; Open;Youth; National Awards 

and Student Focus. 

New for 2016, the 14 Professional categories have been divided into 

two distinct genres: Art and Documentary. All images entered into the 

Sony World Photography Awards are seen by juries made of up leading 

experts from across the photographic industry. Winning and shortlisted 

photographers are given global exposure and recognition throughout 

the year, and have the opportunity to promote and sell their work via 

our exclusive partnership with theprintspace, with their new online print 

fulfillment service, thehub. 

Prizes for this year’s competition include: the latest Sony digital imaging 

equipment; inclusion in the Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition 

at Somerset House, London; inclusion in the 2016 awards’ book and 

$30,000 (USD) for the overall winners. 

4 December 2015 Student Focus competition closes 

5 January 2016 Open, Youth, National Awards competitions close 

12 January 2016 Professional competition closes 

Entry: Free 

worldphoto.org 


MAKING THE CUT 

Making the cover of a 

magazine is no easy task, 

so when the publishers of 

this magazine discovered 

the unique talents of 

Victor Wachira Wakahihia 

and Charles Nderitu, they 

knew that their work had 

been made easier. 

“I had always dabbled in art all throughout school and my training 

was in hair but I stumbled onto makeup purely by chance when 

on my first commercial film set I had to do the hair and makeup 

for the cast as the professional assigned to makeup never showed 

up!” chuckles Victor. Having a family full of artists (interior designer, 

photographer, video editor and abstract artist) gave Victor the 

emotional and structural support and the confidence he needed 

to become a professional and earn a living from this line of work. 

“Hands-on training with Suzie Wokabi of Suzie Beauty in the late 

2008 really honed my skills and joining forces with Charlie Nderitu 

to form Ace of Face & Hair has launched my career into a whole other 

level” comments a grateful Victor. 

Charles is in charge of hair styling. ‘Charlie’ began his styling career 

in the late 1990’s, purely by chance, beginning in high school as a 

barber and stylist to his fellow classmates. Later, as a young adult 

trying to find his way and not enjoying whatever he did, a family 

friend asked him what his passion was, and harkening back to his 

school days Charlie realized that he enjoyed working with his hands 

and he most passionately enjoyed art created by ones hands. “I 

remembered the joy I felt styling my classmates, so I took my desire 

and skills and with my savings from a tee-shirt screen printing 

business and significant support from my eldest brother, went back 

to school and became a professional hairstylist, and later joining 

forces with Victor Wakahihia to form Ace of Face & Hair.” 

Victor and Charlie’s crowning achievement as Ace of Face & Hair was 

winning the 2014 Kalasha Awards for their special-effects makeup 

for the online TV show, Simiyu Samurai (www.simiyusamurai.com). 

African Photo Magazine is extremely fortunate to have such 

talent come on board and we look forward to much more from this 

dynamic duo! 

pikore.com/aceoffaceandhair 

facebook.com/Ace-Of-Face-and-Hair-665472630176094/ 


POSTCARDS TO 

NAIROBI 

African Photo Magazine had a sit 

down with David Beatty, to glean 

insights on how the fashion scene 

in Nairobi was birthed and the 

rise of the fashion photographer. 

DAVID BEATTY 

FROM LONDON TO NAIROBI 

Fashion in this region, especially Kenya, has come such a long 

way and has been a transformation well worth watching. I was 

born in London and my first foray into Africa was as a safari 

guide and a free lance photographer on an overland client safari 

from London to Cape Town in 1970. 

The concept of fashion in Nairobi was virtually non-existent 

before then, with the only known fashion photographer in the 

1970s and 1980s being the famed New York photographer, Peter 

Beard, who lived at Hog Ranch in Karen and famously discovered 

the Kenyan-Somali model, Iman. The typical image at the time 

was of what I call the ‘Out of Africa’, girl by the thorn tree, 

posing” and fashion shows were virtually unheard of. 

“The first dedicated fashion magazines appeared in England 

and France in the late 18th century. In the 19th century, fashion 

magazines—such as the French La Mode Illustrée, the British 

Lady’s Realm, and the American Godey’s Lady’s Book— 

proliferated and flourished. Featuring articles, hand-coloured 

illustrations (known as fashion plates), and advertisements, 

fashion magazines—together with other developments such 

as the sewing machine, department stores, and ready-to-wear 

clothing produced in standard sizes—played a significant role in 

promoting the democratization of fashion in the modern era.. 

Previously, couture houses would only offer their clients private 

viewings of the latest fashions. The development of effective and 

inexpensive methods of reproducing photographs in print media 

in the early 20th century led to the rise of fashion photography 

and fashion magazines such as Vogue.” {Britannica.com} 

In Kenya, the genesis of the fashion industry and the rise in 

fashion photography was the arrival of the International Smirnoff 

Awards onto the scene in 1995. At the time, the Smirnoff 

International Fashion Awards was the largest international event 

of its kind, and became a stepping stone to success for top fashion 

students from around the globe. The annual awards show ran 

until 2002 and famously produced leading Kenyan designers 

Monica Kanari, Patricia Mbela and John Kaveke. 

With the departure of the Smirnoff 

Awards, the Kenya Fashion Week made 

its brief debut and soon after there was a 

plethora of fashion shows, most notably 

The Fashion High Tea, The Nairobi 

Fashion Mart and Festival for African 

Fashion & Arts (FAFA). Commercially 

renowned designers are now showcasing 

their designs with their very own shows 

and specially made up spaces are now 

transforming to accommodate fashion 

extravaganzas, with spectaculars shows 

being held at RaMoMa Museum of 

Modern Art Gallery and at the swanky 

uptown TRIBE hotel. 

What these fashion shows did for the 

local scene, indeed regionally, was to 

light a fire that cannot be quenched. 

There has been an exponential growth 

in local fashion designers, a budding 

modeling industry and the rise of 

the fashion photographer. Fashion 

photography has deeply entrenched 

itself into the modern ethos, becoming 

extremely significant to both art 

and history. There is now enormous 

investment in time and money by the 

fashion photographer, who away from 

the fashion shows, is turning the passion 

and expertise into editorial-like Ad 

campaigns, as seen in the photographers 

showcase on Page 14. 



Photographs courtesy of House of Fotography

APRELLE DUANY 

FROM NEW YORK TO NAIROBI, VIA JUBA 

Nairobi is truly becoming the next frontier in 

all things, and in particular the fashion scene 

and the related burgeoning fashion accessories 

sector. The magazine was particularly fascinated 

with Aprelle Duany’s journey, an American who 

studied fashion design at New York’s prestigious 

Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and is now 

in Nairobi, via way of Juba, making our fashion 

scene that more dynamic and exciting! 

Born in Maryland and growing up in Virginia, Aprelle attended 

Syracuse University in upstate New York and majored in 

computer engineering & information technology. Being an 

impressive 6 feet tall, she was also on the University’s track 

team, staring in the long and triple jump disciplines and 

sprinting. Upon injuring herself, Aprelle decided to focus 

on her studies, got her two masters degrees in New Media & 

Information Management and thereafter joined the prestigious 

PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City as an auditor in 

IT security. 

Sitting on the 43rd floor in an office building cubicle, four 

years into her career and peering down at the vibrant street 

scene below, Aprelle had that existential discussion we all have 

when we know in our heart of hearts that we are not pursuing 

our life’s passion. “When you are a creative person and you are 

living the kind of robotic lifestyle I was, it really drains you,” 

remarked Aprelle. Aprelle explained that she wound up in 

corporate America because of the poverty she grew up in and her 

inclination was to tamper down on her creative instincts, very 

much buying into the starving artist stereotype most creatives are 

viewed as. She therefore eschewed her desires and started to build 

her life in corporate America, until that fateful day one morning 

at work, on the 43rd floor, looking out the window, she became 

real with herself. “There was such a sense of freedom out there, 

from where I was sitting; the action, the engagement, I just knew 

I had to be a part of it!” 

“I have always designed from as long as I can remember. As my 

sisters played with their barbie dolls, I was the one designing 

clothes for them. Also, I was very tall from a young age, so I 

learned to make all my own clothes, so this is something that 

has always been in my blood,” disclosed Aprelle. So, on that day, 

looking out that window, I created a plan. After saving for one 

year, surviving on nothing but ramen noodles and water, I quit 

my job and joined design school as a full-time student.” Being 

one of only forty students in the extremely competitive design 

programme at FIT, Aprelle explains that she choose accessories 

as her field of study as she believed they are much more personal 

than textiles, as they reflect the wearers’ personality when worn. 

The one year program was over as soon 

as it began and Aprelle completed the 

program of study first in her class. With 

the world of possibilities at her feet and 

dreams of being a designer in New York 

City with Prada or Michael Kors still 

swirling in her head, Aprelle’s longtime 

boyfriend, Keuth Duany engaged and 

married her and convinced her that they 

should go to South Sudan and help build 

the new nation! 

“Moving to Juba as a new wife and new 

mother was an act of God because that 

was not the plan I had seen for myself 

especially with my design career in New 

York City about to take off. To this day 

I do not know how Jesus convinced me 

to move!” Juba was truly a move back 

in time and life slowed to a crawl and 

my design ambitions took a backseat as 

survival took centre stage.” 

The transition to Nairobi happened with 

the arrival of the second baby two years 

later and the young family moved their 

home base to Nairobi which turned out 

to be the best of both worlds. Kueth 

was able to still manage the businesses 

in Juba while the cosmopolitan nature 

of the bustling city allowed Aprelle to 

dream again, to breathe again and to 

finally become who she was meant to 

be, a designer! 

Initially working as the CEO for Kiko 

Romeo, Aprelle used the opportunity 

to familiarize herself with the market 

landscape and the Kenyan consumer. 

This almost two-year stint provided a 


wonderful opportunity for learning and networking 

but the itch came back and finally in 2014 Aprelle 

began to engage her creativity and finally started her 

hand bag collection. 

Aprelle’s focus on luxury handbags is very 

purposeful and doing it in Africa has certainly raised 

a few eyebrows. “The perception of Africa is still 

very flawed and skewed towards the uncivilized, 

so I wanted to expand the image and concept of 

luxury because in normal terms when people 

think of luxury they do not see black people in 

that terminology so do not include us in their 

inspirational processes; it’s a very narrow caucasian 

concept. I wanted to create a platform, a concept that 

celebrated all beauty and not just one segment. Also, 

I felt very strongly about celebrating black pioneers 

of colour, like Wangari Maathai, a Nobel winner or 

Hattie McDaniels, the first black winner of an Oscar 

and I wanted this celebration of black excellence to 

be a very strong thread in the brand. As we celebrate 

each other, it also changes how we see each other, 

especially as black women, when we start to see the 

many positive images about ourselves.” 

Aprelle has been retailing her luxury bags mostly via 

private sales and trunk shows in the US, and recently 

held her first local trunk show at the Sankara and 

will be launching her e-commerce platform on her 

website (see links below) by time of going to print. 

Aprelle’s brand is fast being recognized with Lupita 

Nyong’o owning an AprelleDuany and she has been 

invited to showcase her handbags at the New York 

Fashion Week in February of 2016! 

“It looks like New York was never really that far away 

but Nairobi is now home and I glad I am here!” 

aprelleduany.com 

facebook.com/aprelle.duany 

Photographs courtesy of Aprelle Duany 


ADELE DEJAK 

FROM KANO, LONDON, ROME TO NAIROBI 

We round up our conversations with a most delightful chat with 

Adele Dejak, over at her very swanky boutique store at the Village 

Market, Nairobi. Adele, much like Aprelle, is a transplant to Nairobi, 

having trotted all over the globe and landing in Nairobi where she 

now lives out her passion in the most purposeful and dedicated way 

and we are all so much better for it! 

Born in Kano, Nigeria but growing up in London, Adele completed 

her studies graduating with a Law degree. This is despite having a love 

for art, especially jewelry, from a very young age. 

Kano, situated in the Sahelian geographic region south of the Sahara 

is in proximity to Katsina and all the rich artistry that criss-crossed 

the region courtesy of the nomadic Tuareg peoples. “All of Northern 

Nigeria was just full of markets with Hausa merchants trading in 

Tuareg jewelry and artifacts and whenever home in Kano for the 

holidays, I would immerse myself in all this richness of culture 

and my obsession with jewelry, especially necklaces was born! My 

grandmother was also a huge influence on me and growing up part- 

Nigerian with its cultural love affair with all things flamboyant, stylish 

and colourful only fed my creative slant.” 

The journey to living out her passion was a round-about one, as Adele 

took the then sensible route of studying for a law degree. “Back in 

my day, we were not encouraged to follow our hearts and desires and 

most people had a difficult time perceiving the arts as a meaningful 

activity for an adult to undertake as a fulltime profession”. Adele never 

did practice law upon graduating, knowing in her final year of study 

that she did not have the heart for it. Instead, Adele, tried her hand 

at various stints in marketing, advertising and in the travel industry. 

It was not until after meeting and marrying her Italian husband and 

relocating to Lagos for work, did the 

spark in Adele reignite. “Being back and 

suffused in that vibrant culture made 

me realize that I just had to get back to 

my art. Shortly, we were posted back 

to London and I immediately enrolled 

myself into an Art college, studying 

graphic design and printing primarily. 

It was not until we got posted to Kenya 

in 2005 and I visited Maasai Market did 

I finally realize what I was going to do! 

I was going to be a jewelry designer and 

I was going to be avant garde and I was 

going to be very good at it!” 

All of 2005 and 2006 was spent testing 

the waters and learning the market, with 

the brand formally launching in 2008, 

leading to the first store opening in 

Lamu and another at Westgate but both 

have since closed. The Village Market 

boutique is now the flagship store, 

coupled with a workshop and showroom 

in Kiambu, where all her pieces are 

Photographs courtesy of 



world that there is much to be celebrated 

about Africa.” 

Adele has fashioned her luxury brand 

to be one that introduces centuries-old 

African artistry to the modern world of 

high fashion. She strongly believes that in 

so many different ways, Africa is the next 

frontier, the future, and she very much 

intends to lead the charge in changing 

perceptions about her beloved continent 

through design and creativity. “People 

are often surprised that are products are 

made by hand in Kenya. This comes from 

a bigger misconception that all fashion 

made in Africa is cheap in quality and 

price. We are working hard to change 

these perceptions by creating high quality 

beautiful goods which will tell the whole 

African story truthfully.” 

assembled by 28 full-time artisans. Adele plans to focus heavily on 

social media marketing and staging trunk shows, or pop-ups, in 

various international locales, including Nairobi of course. 

Adele reminisces about the African traditions and way of life that 

is vanishing right in front of our eyes, and deplores the continuing 

negative imagery and coverage that modern Africa receives. “This is 

why it is so important that we strive to keep even a little piece of our 

African heritage alive. 

This is why I design and manufacture the kind of jewelry, and now 

bags, that I do. The pieces reflect the Africa that I grew to love and 

treasure from my days spent roaming the Hausa markets as a young 

girl. It is also so important to me that we strive to reflect to the world 

the real beauty that is Africa; the hope, joy and aspirations of a people 

who often have very little in terms of material possessions but who 

have so much love and joy in their hearts. The Ebola scourge early 

this year, and the continuing Boko Haram insurgency, broke my heart 

because it reinforced that imagery of poor, starving, disease stricken 

and war ravaged Africa. But we are so much more than that. I started 

the ‘My Heart Beats Africa campaign’ as a response and to remind the 

In closing Adele stressed that her 

successes thus far was not coincidental 

or as a result of good luck. “Good luck, 

they say, is when opportunity meets 

preparation. Being prepared in all aspects 

is what makes one truly successful. That 

means having a proper business plan, 

having a great lawyer and accountant 

and an honest approach to business 

and dealings with others. Being open 

to collaboration and most importantly, 

supporting and encouraging others, 

especially those in the same line of 

business, is key to making it in this, 

and any other business. Lastly, and this 

I cannot stress enough, have faith in 

yourself, be passionate and follow your 

heart, and the universe will open itself up 

to you!” 

adeledejak.com 

facebook.com/adeledejak/ 


EVENTS 

DJ Taio spinning the 

decks at the launch party. 

Co-founders Annabel Onyango-Fuchs & 

Emma Caddy with the ever fashionable 

professional stylist, Eddie Kirindo. 

Emma Caddy introducing 

fashion designers featuring 

in the boutique. 

The impressive turnout at the 

Garden City Mall. 


Highly enthusiatic and 

well watered crowd. 

Editor, Sharon Mitchener 

browsing merchandise with 

Sauti Sol band member, Chimano. 

We dropped in on the official launch of 

the very swanky Republi.ke womenswear 

boutique at the Garden City Mall in Nairobi. 

The crowd was chic, the fashions elevated 

street style and the cocktails divine! We 

congratulate Annabel Onyango-Fuchs and 

Emma Caddy for making Nairobi that much 

more exciting! 

Photographs courtesy of House of Fotography 

Famous bandmates Sauti Sol 

all in attendance. 

Adele Dejak showing much 

love at the Republi.ke launch. 


Aerial Photography 

Commercial & Industrial 

Portraiture 

Weddings 

fotohouse.co.ke

African Photo Magazine issue #3

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