TAKE 5: Micere Nyaga

Micere is a wildlife photographer based in Nairobi. You can find her work on Instagram, @mbichagraphy_by_micere.

1. How would you describe yourself, personally and professionally?

Well, that's a tough question. Personally, I am a reserved person. I tend to keep to myself unless you're in my close circle of friends then I am a noise maker. Professionally, I am a wildlife photographer at heart. I feel at home in the wild and I love photographing animals in their element.

2. Why wildlife? Does danger thrill you?

I have always felt connected to nature. Especially the rumble of elephants. I find it calming. We lead such hectic lives, and being behind my camera following, say, lions, just gives me peace. As for danger, there was a time a hyena came to sniff my tent in Tsavo (National Park) - I screamed my lungs out!

3. Most of the photographers I come across are self-taught? How did you learn your craft?

I have always loved photography. My first camera was a simple point and shoot camera my mum bought me as a graduation gift over a decade ago. I still have it. It's very sentimental to me, so I'd like to pass it on to my daughter one day. When switching to DSLR, (Digital Single-Lens Relfex Camera, which combines the optics of a single lens reflex camera with a digital imagining sensor), I enrolled in a local photography school called Photomagic for two months to learn the technicalities of photography.

4. If you weren't into wildlife photography, what do you think you'd be doing?

Well, I do shoot families, babies, weddings and concerts too. I also enjoy street and architectural photography. When I travelled to China in 2016, I shot street photography and really enjoyed it. Beijing is a concrete jungle full of smog, however, there were two cities I found breathtakingly beautiful. The city of Chongqing with its beautiful bridges and the city of Yantai with its beautiful coast. The sunrises and sunsets were lovely. To answer your question, I’d probably be a writer. Or a psychologist. I am the listener amongst my friends.

5. What outstanding projects have you worked on that you look back on and feel accomplished about?

To be honest, I try to get that feeling of accomplishment from each job I am hired to do. I love looking at my clients' faces and seeing their smiles as I deliver custom-made photo books or seeing my wildlife prints hanging in offices and homes. That really makes me feel accomplished.