It’s all in the details...

Stephen Maithya is 23, and his life’s goal is to one day shoot for big designers such as Versace, Gucci and Calvin Klein.

He has been a photographer for five years now, and photography, Stephen says, is serious business that requires commitment, continuous training and the ability to read the changing technological times. His specialisations are conceptual, environmental, fashion and event photography, but he is known mostly as a conceptual photographer.

“Conceptual photography illustrates an idea or a story visually through images, it requires intensive research before a shoot. Fashion photography showcases clothes and accessories for commercial consumption while event photography records candid moments in an event,” he explains.

“I first began practicing fashion photography in 2014 when clients started to commission me to shoot their designs, afterwards, in 2015, I ventured into event photography before venturing into conceptual photography in mid-2016,” he explains.

His work is definitely good – he was a finalist in the August 2016 Nikon Photography competition and was ranked eighth nationally.

Besides this, he has been credited as one of the top 10 conceptual and fashion photographers in Kenya by OMG Voice Kenya and the YouTube series titled, Revealed, and in 2017, he was credited as one of the most outstanding Nikon Photographers in Africa, besides being awarded by Pwani International Fashion Week  and Fashion Awards as the Kenyan photographer of the year, 2017. Some of the key fashion events he has shot at include the Kenya Fashion Awards Gala, 2017.

“The most misleading notion most have about photography is the assumption that it is just about pressing a button – it is more than just releasing the shutter button. It takes hard work, technical genius and creativity to produce images that breathe life.

Photography, like any other profession, has undergone a major technological evolution, and equipment has become very expensive -- modern photography is very different from old school photography,” he offers.

Stephen is in his final year at Kenyatta University, where he is taking a bachelor’s degree in analytical chemistry and management, a course he says is totally in sync with his photography passion.

“I borrow many disciplines from the course, for instance, photochemistry, a unit in the course (the study of light and its chemical reaction with matter) helps me understand the concept of light, which becomes very applicable in lighting my photography subjects, while the management bit of the course equips me with the necessary knowledge and skills I need on how to run and manage my business,” he says.

 Stephen’s passion in photography was sparked when he joined Alliance High School for his secondary school education.

“Seniors were allowed to bring to school pocket cameras to record their high school memories. They seemed to have so much fun with their cameras, I could not wait to become a senior, so that I could bring one to school. I was in Form One then.”

He acquired his first camera, a gift from his mother, when he joined Form Four. Hence began his journey in photography.

“I am a self-taught photographer, but I have refined my skills through intense research and a lot of experimenting over the past five years that I have been doing this,” he says.

He is presently involved in a photo exhibition series titled, “The Supernatural Order” on location in Nairobi and Mombasa, a project that concludes in July this year.

“The series explores the supernatural world. It is a collaborative project comprising a team of over 25 people, including models, make-up artists, location assistants and manager. I came up with the concept and then invited other artists to help me actualise the project’s vision – you cannot work alone and succeed,” he says.

Take a look at the first few episodes of the project on Stephen’s Facebook page, @STEVENCHY PHOTOGRAPHY. The exhibition dates will be announced soon.

“This project is very close to my heart because not many artists, the world over, have explored this theme creatively and in depth, through images. It is a project I have been yearning to shoot for quite a long time.”

Q&A

How much does an average camera cost?

Compact cameras cost around Sh8, 000 - Sh20, 000, while an average Digital Single Lens Reflex camera (one with detachable mount lenses) costs around Sh50, 000.

How did you raise the money to buy your first professional camera?

I bought my first professional camera, a Digital Single-lens Reflex camera, with savings from previous jobs (Planning and organising food festivals and tutoring high school students in Physics, Chemistry and Biology) and top up from my mother.

 How much money do you make on average?

On average, I make around Sh60, 000 every month. At my age, I consider it a tidy sum and a sign of better possibilities.

How long does it generally take you to produce work for a client?

I usually take two - 14 days at most to post-produce and standardise a client’s work, depending on the nature of assignment I am commissioned for. What I do in post-production is correct exposure, highlights, shadows, clarity, detail, noise level and colour.

I also get rid of unnecessary objects in the images if need be and retouch skin. Some assignments take little time to post-produce, while others take longer.

Do you work alone?

I have a company - Stevenchy Photography, which I registered in 2014. Before this, I worked solo, now I have a team which assists me in the daily operations and management of the business. The team includes location and lighting assistants, makeup artists, props masters, videographers, as well as fellow photographers who help me shoot bigger assignments such as weddings. I however insist on editing my own images and managing my social media handles.

What is your most memorable photo-shoot so far?

The collaborative conceptual photo project I shot in May 2017, titled, “I AM KENYAN”, with a group of other Kenyan creative minds in the fashion industry. The project got good reviews locally and internationally, and I was even featured by Contè Magazine; an international publication in South Africa.