“My space is my sanctuary. I usually tweak it up in relation to the shoot.”

— Migwa Nthiga

INTERVIEW WITH MIGWA MTHIGA AND LAURA DAY WEBB
NAIROBI, KENYA

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to be an artist?

My name is Migwa Nthiga and I am a Kenya-based Documentary portrait and commercial photographer. I graduated from Daystar University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Marketing. Within my time in university I picked up film photography where I found my passion in taking and developing my own photos in a dark room. It was loads of fun.

Before graduation, I did my internship in East and Central Africa's largest advertising agency, 'Scanad' where I put to practice my marketing degree and sharpened my photography skills when I was off the clock. After two and half years, I resigned and formed my own visual communications company and have never looked back since.

I enjoy photographing people and using their images to tell their stories. My favourite category is Daily Life Portraiture because I find it to be the most authentic type of storytelling in that you get to peep into the lives of "regular" human beings doing their day to day activities. I also really appreciate this genre because I learn more about myself as a human being and as an artist in the process of creating these images. When I photograph in this category and others, I like to give my portraits a little spice by using strobe lighting as a second or third light source in addition to the sun / natural light.

I entered the contemporary art world as a by-product of my internship in advertising. During my time at 'Scanad', I interacted with commercial photographers, stylists, make-up artists, set designers, graphic designers...the whole lot and their magic rubbed off on me. I was fascinated by how shoots were put together, executed, edited, and delivered to the client. I knew I belonged to this world the moment I took my first assistant photographer gig. Naturally being an ex ad-man, the first jobs I did as a photographer were commercials so lots of high fashion shoots, product shoots and the lot. They all looked and felt perfect...a little too perfect in fact so I started exploring the documentary portrait photography genre where I found my true love. Today I shoot both genres to make a living but my favorite is documentary portrait photography (Don't tell my commercial clients.)

What is your approach to starting a new work?

I would begin by doing some research on the topic and subject that I am photographing. This could be done in different ways from spending some time with the person I am photographing to get to know them better or I could read about the topic I would like to explore so that the shoot is well informed. I don’t use the camera at this stage so that the focus is on learning about the subject I intend on photographing through conversation and reading.

I would then create a mood board based on what I find in the research phase. I would use images from Pinterest or work with a sketch artist so that I avoid making the work look similar to what has already been created.

Once we’re happy with the proposed mood of the shoot, I would do a test shoot to see if the concept looks good. At this point, we’ll be looking to see where the sun rises and sets in relation to the location I’ve picked. This is extremely important because I use natural light in addition to strobe lights for a dramatic effect.

We would then shoot and take it to edit thereafter.

Do you listen to music when you are working and what do you listen to?

Yes, I do, always! I listen to songs that inspire me. Sometimes they could be related to the subject matter or mood of the shoot. It helps me create along those lines.

What role does your studio space play in your practice?

My space is my sanctuary. I usually tweak it up in relation to the shoot. I have to get into the zone. Sometimes I invite people over for the vibes to flow. Other times I like to be alone in there as I create.

Are there any elements or objects in your studio setup that have special significance to you and your practice?

I like to put up some of my favourite photos with the most memorable stories as conversation starters as well as to add some colour and vibrance to my space.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a project that looks at how climate change is affecting culture from a fashion perspective in Northern Kenya.

How did you come about your current studio? Any interesting, funny, dramatic, inspiring stories to share?

I came about my current studio from a friend of mine who we share the space with. He phoned me to tell me that he had a space that he was willing to share with a like-minded photographer such as myself. I was flying my drone at the time and because of the excitement of the news and lack of focus at the time, flew my drone into a tree. The drone came crashing down the branches and into tall grass that was flooded with water. I ran in a panic to try and save it, picked it up by the belly of the drone and the propellers came back on and cut my forearm where I had not long before got a lioness tattoo. The cuts made by the propellers scarred over, giving my lioness the fierce character she has today...haha!

Migwa Nthiga : Studio Visit