How Photography Changed My Life by Ramadhan Karali
My life and journey as an artist…..
Digging through old archives of work can sometimes be challenging. But we all started somewhere. Looking at the masterpieces of history's great artists, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, thinking, "I can never accomplish that level of work." Yet, we often forget they were once in our shoes, just starting out.
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My journey as a photographer began in 2020, right after the pandemic hit. Stuck at home, with my financial advisory and sales background, the inability to meet people meant no new earnings beyond commissions from secured accounts. Then came the pivotal moment—a friend handed me a camera at an event, asking me to be his second shooter. With 2000 shots in hand by the end of the day, my passion for photography ignited. I fell in love with the process of creating through the lens.
After we completed the event, my friend came over to me and said: "Hey, you got a good eye. You should consider doing this as your profession. I think you've got a future in it". After hearing that, it clicked. From that point on, I decided that I wanted to work with my camera for the rest of my life. For the next two weeks, I used my phone to take photos and by default for every Photographer, Flowers and sunsets are always the first Subjects one gets to practice with.
I came to own a camera, The Nikon D5300, a gift from my brother-in-law. I was still shooting Auto using the 18-55mm kit lens but the clarity and quality compared to the phone were amazing!
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Before photography I was timid but while engaging with subjects I discovered a newfound confidence both behind the lens and in myself. I immersed myself in the art and found my voice in portrait photography
With YouTube as my primary source of knowledge and research as my companion, I transitioned to manual mode and this opened up new possibilities.
Inspired by artists like Kashope Faje, Boniface Mwangi, and Moses Ogeto, I sought to understand what made their work remarkable. It wasn't long before I craved recognition for my own efforts. It took a year of relentless shooting, countless failures, and sleepless nights before my work gained traction.
Thus far my advice to anyone starting in photography,
1. Know your camera: Whether it’s your phone or camera, know your limits. Does it shoot well at night? Does work best during the day? Is it focusing good? Knowing your camera is always half the task.
2. Practice, practice, practice: Nothing beats consistency and discipline in picking the camera every day to shoot. It helps you get better.
3. Capture What You Love.
4. Photograph in Your Backyard: Before venturing into the unknown, shoot where you are most comfortable at. Use your friends, do flowers, sunsets anything that will make you fall in love with Photography even more.
5. Learn the basics: Know what ISO, ARPETURE AND SHUTTER correlate on the Exposure triangle. Know what focal length works with what type of Photography
6. Pay attention to light: Photography is the art of painting with light. Knowing how lighting works in the process of photography will help you in creating good and better Photos.
