Reaping from photography
Fahad Ssewankambo (centre) records a video at one of the functions recently. Courtesy Photos
Fahad Ssewankambo is only 23. The proud owner of Photo City studios in Kajjansi on Entebbe Road operates his company with a team of four.
“Towards the end of completion of my course at the university, I started thinking of how to practice what I had studied and also look for ways of being a job creator rather than a job seeker,” he says.
He resolved to engage in photography.
At first he thought of selling the idea to his uncle who had always wanted him to be a lawyer, but his passion for photography was so great that he quit his stint as an artiste to concentrate on photography.
Besides, the former involved high costs of production.
How it all started
Early 2014, Ssewankambo says he decided to do professional photography thus establishing his own studio.
“When I started doing photography, I did not have the idea of starting a photo studio. I wanted to do freelance photography because I was only doing photography for fun,” he says. A close friend inspired him to start a photo studio and even helped him source some funds that he topped up with what he had saved, this enabled him start with few equipment.
“I started with a single camera; with time, I bought more equipment one by one ranging from computers to studio lights among others. I now have three photography cameras and three video cameras. I have been growing and I am still growing,” Ssewankambo says proudly.
However, the start was not easy for he had to come up with a rent advance of Shs1.8million to secure studio space.
“I had been saving for close to two years and upon conceiving the idea of a photo studio; I decided to direct my personal savings to investing in the business.”
“I paid rent for the first six months of Shs300, 000 per month which gave me assurance of the studio space for some time. After that, I had to struggle and make ends meet by filling the studio with equipment,” he adds.
Ssewankambo registered the company in early 2015. “The process was not that easy for it had a lot of bureaucracy attached to it. I had to part with Sh500,000 for the whole process that included among others getting a tin number, a Post Office address and a certificate of cooperation,” he says.
At the moment, he does photography for weddings, events, fashion and product photography with a hope of incorporating more in their package as demand arises.
“The cost of buying and maintaining equipment is high yet clients want to pay less for the photos. There is also no friendly competition in the photography business as people always want to emerge the best yet with no urge to learn and improve their skills,” he stresses.
Secrets to success
Ssewankambo attributes his success to God and some key virtues any business person would need.
“I always give it all to God. Continued persistence is also key to me, I always give room to learn something new from anyone anywhere.”
“You have a dream, stick on it and keep the hustle real. Some people push something and if it does not work for six months, they let it go. But a great scholar, M. Fettullah Gulen, said one can only measure the success of a business after seven years of its operation,” Ssewankambo advises.
The photographer is proud of stints with high profile entertainment personalities such as Spice Diana, Nutty Neithan, Big Trill and Naira Ali.
When asked on his marketing strategy, Sewankambo says: “I am a design student, we believe when you brand perfectly, you do not need to market. Exclusive branding is my marketing strategy.”
