Á: Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

TM: I am a self-taught photographer born and raised in Nairobi. Growing up, my parents were always consistent in affirming my sisters and I. They wanted to empower us to be effective women and focused on building our confidence and leadership skills. My father introduced us to photography when I was 14 years old and it was instant chemistry from the moment he put the camera in my hands.  

My family is quite artistic and they love music. Although I played the piano for many years, I didn’t love it in the same way that I loved photography. My father has a very scientific mind and my sister loved to draw– for me photography was a perfect mix of creativity, art, and science. I taught myself by watching YouTube videos and tried to work with other local photographers when possible. I have now worked my way into the commercial photography industry in Kenya, as one of very few women in the industry.

Á: What was your entry point into photography?

TM: Although my father is the one who introduced me to photography, entering the industry professionally was different. When I first started, I thought I would be working on all of these amazing briefs, and would find ultimate fulfilment as an artist. In reality, that is not how it turned out. I was always shooting somebody else’s vision and began to struggle with creative fulfilment, which is frustrating if you’re working in a creative field.

At that time, Facebook was popular in Kenya and the one thing everyone wanted on Facebook was a really good profile picture. The world and teenagers in high school, we all lived for good profile pictures. My older sister is a fashion designer and she would collect Vogue magazines. Even before I began photography, I had been exposed to a wide range of fashion photography and you can see the influences of this in my work now. I would convince my sisters to be my models and we’d do all these elaborate photo shoots and post them on Facebook. One day I got a direct message from somebody asking how much I would charge to take a profile picture for them. I remember being amazed that you could get paid to do that. From that one message, I started a tiny business and in university photography helped me earn some pocket money to pay for school related things.

The turning point for me was when I met a group of photographers. They were local Kenyans doing amazing things that had never been done before. They were all several years older than me, in their late twenties, I was about 19 at this time. They brought me in and taught me the ropes of the industry and at the age of 23, I shot my first campaign. That campaign then officially launched me into a career in photography.

Yet despite shooting campaigns, in the back of my mind I thought I had to graduate and get a ‘real job’. My degree was actually in Marketing and I even graduated as the valedictorian. I had received these amazing offers for internships and jobs, but struggled to consider them. One day my father looked at me and said; “Why are you even considering these offers? You love photography. Just do that.” As an African child, to hear my parents affirm that I didn’t have to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer was exactly what I needed. It was at that point, after graduating at the age of 25, that I decided to pursue my passion as a formal career.

Á: Can you tell us about your experience navigating the industry since then?

TM: Truthfully, I am glad I got into photography early. Here in Kenya, photography is a very male dominated industry. I struggled with stigma because of my gender and frankly speaking, I had no idea what I was committing to when I said I wanted to be a professional photographer. But because I had time, I was able to slowly work my way through the industry.

I am immensely determined, so when people would tell me that photography is not something that I would want to do as a woman, I would reply with; “Watch me.” My parents would cheer me on because they believe in following your passion.

I began shooting corporate events then transitioned into shooting weddings, because it was an easier industry to infiltrate. I did this for several years before venturing into commercial photography. Through my exploration phase, I discovered I was drawn to colour. I also learned that I really enjoyed photographing women, and the jobs that gave me the most satisfaction were the ones where I had direct interaction with women. I always used to say, “I sell an experience whereby the byproduct is the photograph.”

Over the years I began to slowly stop doing weddings and transitioned more towards commercial and artistic work. Looking back, it was mostly perseverance, a keen desire to learn and a lot of long hours that got me to where I am today.

Á: What are some of your artistic influences?

In advertising I’m given a brief and told, “this is what we’re trying to say” and then I come in as the expert and help them say it. Within my personal work, I realised that I ultimately decide what the final image says. So, I began asking myself what I’m passionate about saying and one of my passions is affirming the beauty in every woman.

Based on my own journey, and over the years photographing women, I noticed I had never heard a woman say there is nothing they would change about themselves. Instead, they would always tell me things like, “this is my better side”and “I’m so sorry, my skin is not good today.” From these comments and remarks, I realised the importance of affirming beauty in women, and that every woman needs to hear it. I would see women struggle with self-love and I wanted to address that through my photography.

Another influence is hair. Hair is a big part of beauty culture, and the one thing many Black women have is a complex relationship with their hair. You have some who love it and embrace it and you have some who don’t. I can’t talk about beauty without touching on hair. If you pay attention to my work, you will notice the subjects tend to have natural hair or traditional hairstyles with a modern twist. It’s very much about affirming that our traditional hair texture is not something we need to hide. It is an element of our beauty.

Á: Can you tell us more about the CAMO Series?

CAMO is very much about colour. Kenyans are loud, we like wearing bright fabrics and we are happy. That’s just who we are. Naturally, for reasons I mentioned before, my subject matter was always going to be women and I wanted to focus on affirming their beauty. I wanted to speak into something that I had experienced personally and had watched other women struggle with on a day-to-day basis.

Á: Is CAMO a project that you will conclude anytime soon?

Camo is an ongoing series as one can never finish capturing beauty. I could spend my whole life dedicated to CAMO and it would still only be a drop in the ocean of what beauty looks like.

In this series I work with the Ankara fabric. Beyond talking about beauty, the series acts as a catalogue of this fabric. Similar to mainstream fashion, African fabrics have their own seasons and styles that come and go. Once they’re gone you probably will never see them again. CAMO is in other words, an archive of African beauty and fashion through the years. I often think about what the textiles will look like in 20 years from now and with CAMO I can track how the textiles have evolved over the period of my life.

However, I do shoot other projects and I really enjoy them.

Á: What creative projects are you currently focusing on?

TM: As well as CAMO, right now I’m in the research phase for some new work that I will be releasing. It is always very exciting to explore a different subject matter in a different way. I also have exhibitions lined up for next year and I am working hard to prepare for them.

 Á: What legacy do you wish to leave behind for the next generation of female Kenyan photographers?

 TM: I have always struggled with the question of whether there is room for me in this industry. I would ask myself if my voice had anything to contribute to the conversation. The legacy I want to leave behind is that your voice matters. As you create work, the themes you’re speaking about speak to somebody. There is room for your voice and we need your voice. I would encourage others to not be intimidated. It’s hard work but we need every voice we can get, and we all have something so unique to offer. I interact with other photographers from the region whom have different styles and messages from my own, but their work is equally important. There is room for all of us.

I want to tell the next generation of female photographers that you can do it. If you are determined enough, even without a photography degree (like me), anything is possible. You can start with what you have and keep growing.

Lastly, I would like to provide solutions. I’m very passionate about teaching workshops and I hope to help more people jump into fulfilling careers as photographers, regardless of what kind of photography they want to do.

Á: What piece of advice do you wish you had before entering the industry?

TM: Be brave. When I began, I always thought I needed to be like everybody else. I would tell myself that my work needs to match so-and-so and needs to look exactly like the images I see in Vogue. Truthfully, that won’t get you anywhere. You will become a really good second version of that person, but why do that when you can be the best version of yourself? Develop your personal style.