Self-taught photographer at world stage

Music lovers will identify Joel Nsadha as a fine guitarist. He was one of the lead musicians with Lillian & The Sundowners band. While he used his fingers to pluck the guitar so did he click away as a photographer. Incidentally, photography was a deeper passion and he has excelled at it. He has been recognised by one of the world’s leading photo and video portal, National Geographic Channel. He won first place in the People Category last year. His winning photograph was one of Bwengye, a young man from Kamwokya, a Kampala suburb. He was at a playground on a bike that he loves and decorates all the time. He took the photo in 2014. His connection with the subject was instant. He only met Bwengye once, that one day and through the picture, Nsadha represented millions of young Ugandans and African youth who seek meaning in life; in the arts, sports, music, education, careers, and more.

Meeting his subject
From their conversation, the photographer learnt that the youngster loves football and dreams of making it big. He has a special affection for the bike it is a form of expression in art.
There are many Bwengyes since Uganda has about 60 per cent of people under 35.
Nsadha feels unfortunate to have only seen Bwengye once because he did not have a phone. What’s more is that he only got to know one name- Bwengye, because that is what his friends at the Kamwokya playground called him.
“I had just a short window to take the picture because it was getting dark when he showed up at the playground. That is how I met him. It was a warm and sunny mid-morning in Kamwokya. I asked him if it was alright if I took a picture of him and his bike and he said ‘sure’,” the photographer recounts.
He went on to tell him that it wasn’t a good time to take the picture and would have loved to meet up later in the evening. He agreed and gave him directions to a playground where he went to watch football every evening.
The playground had no grass. Just two goal posts, a brown football pitch that was once white, and about 100 children brilliantly dribbling in the dirt.
The photographer watched and waited as the ball got kicked and chased back and forth. After about two hours, Nsadha thought the youngster had changed his mind. He was wrong. He showed up right before sunset and Nsadha shot a couple of frames.

Unique photos
One of the National geographic judges said the picture challenges people’s ideas about places such as Uganda. The judge also observed that the photo was done with dignity.
The self-taught photographer thinks, “the dignity and the authenticity of my subject is what make it a unique photo. It captures his soul in a special way without degrading the boy.”
The picture is published in the National Geographic and will be in the National Geographic print magazine. Nsadha also won a cash prize of US$2,500 (about Shs8.7m).
The journey
It started in 2006.Nsadha always borrowed a Canon EOS 10D camera from a friend. He would go on long walks through Kampala, just photographing anything he thought was interesting. He recounts, “I was always attracted to every form of beauty. It is something I loved to do as a form of expression, not because I was paid. On the contrary, there was not a chance to earn a living from that kind of thing. It turns out that many of the pictures I shot on my walks are my best.”
He is glad he did that when he had the time to because through it all, he started learning about framing and composing photographs, on his own. To date, he still does street photography even in New York where he resides. This is mostly on days when he is off duty and has enough time.

Currently
Nsadha works as an Digital imaging specialist at BestBuy, New York. His work entails advising people that are interested in acquiring DSLRs, mirror-less, compact cameras, camcorders, action cameras such as Go pro and 360. The advice he shares most is about what camera suits their need and also how to use equipment. Having knowledge on how to handle cameras has earned the photographer more awards.
He is a seven-time winner of the Uganda Press Photo Award (UPPA). He has also had his photographs published in some major publications in the world such as CNN, ABC news, National Geographic magazine, Press Connect New York, The Guardian and The Atlantic. This is because of the awards he has won as a photographer.
Nsadha’s work is authentic and natural. He tries to capture the soul of people in their natural environment. When he makes portraits, he loves to work with space. He sometimes fills the frame but more often than not uses vast space.
He mostly uses the Canon EOS 7D, but has also been using a 40D for a long time. He occasionally carries a Pentax K1000. On his wishlist is taking a trip across Africa photographing people.

Quick tips

He shares with photographers or those willing to take on photography as a hobby:-
-Keep it simple. Tell a story or two in the picture.
-Be acquainted with your tools. Whatever camera it is, whether it is an iPhone or DSLR, it all works just fine.
-Be patient with your subject and make them comfortable.
-Experiment with lighting if you can. I love to keep my lighting simple and limited to one source of light if I use artificial light. I love to work with the Speedlight.
-Be patient if you do candid street photography. Sometimes I go out all day with the goal of getting just one good picture. At the end of the year I could have 300 great photos. That’s a lot of great photos. It takes a lot of patience. Give it time and practice over and over.