Are you a Journalist?

I have met both strangers and familiar faces who broadcast their phone conversation to the public. They do keep shouting when on phone for no meaningful reason. I have even made attempts to get them speak in normal tones when on phone but the urge to keep shouting cannot be hidden. As they say – Mazoea yana taabu (Norms are troublesome).

Well, I do not shout on phone, so you tell yourself. On the other hand have you met this small group of people who will remain calm, composed and speak in low tones over the phone in noisy places. Those of us who are familiar with Kenyan buses (Matatu) can tell you how these discos on the move can be suffocating. You receive a call and all you can say is Acha nikupigie nikishuka mat. (Let me call you once I alight the bus).  I envy such people and the day I successfully pull off such a stunt I’ll consider my life partly fulfilled.

Let’s get a little social

How is social media treating you? Or rather,  how are you treating others on social media? When I was young and stupid, I remember posting about everything that crossed my mind without a care in the world. Fast-forward now that I am older, wiser, and owe the society an explanation for any wayward posts it’s never been the same. This is the reason why you’ll find most ‘mature’ people choosing to scroll through their timelines, rarely commenting on anything. If they ever post anything, it’s mostly shared posts. Someone even joked that they look as if their brains are fried and unable to think. Deep down we are hurting to be young again. To post anything without the fear of this too judgmental and too sensitize society.

No, You can’t be talking about me

We have this lot that still post everything. Have you ever logged onto WhatsApp or Facebook and found someone has posted a million photos? You attended the event, good! Kindly leave room for imagination for me and the others who weren’t in attendance. I am okay with someone posting up to a maximum of 5 pictures. Posting more than this leaves a bitter taste for people like me for time wastage, filling up my storage space, data consumption, to mention but a few. We’ve seen this crop of people interrupt precious moments such as weddings and graduations. You pay a photographer to cover your event and as you review the footage you see your dear friend in the frame with their phone very busy recording the event, and you just missed a precious shot!

Go through your phone gallery. How many photos have you actually uploaded, or even will need in the future? I once read a summarized research published a few years ago that established that most of us just waste time capturing moments using our phone cameras. We have failed on numerous occasions to savor moments because we were too occupied recording them.

Your phone camera is arguably the best at capturing moments. However, you could be denying that hired cameraperson an opportunity to effectively execute their mandate by standing in their frame. Next time you attend a concert, or a wedding, please let the official camera-persons do their job.

Finally, we (photographers and video producers) have friends and family who will invite us to an event. When I get there, hoping to enjoy the mood, will be asked whether I did come along with my camera. Seriously? You’d have asked me nicely to come shoot your event pro bono, since you have difficulty in paying for my services. Allow us to have fun too instead of always working when others are having fun. Thank you