He found gold behind the lens

Changing career. After earning twice as much as his monthly teacher salary in a single photo shooting expedition, James Lubinga decided to drop the chalk for the camera, as he told Mathias Wandera.

Today, with a Smart phone camera virtually in everyone’s pocket, many have argued that photography as a line of business is on the rocks. As it has widely been suggested, people are no longer willing to hire the services of a professional photographer, after all, everyone can zoom in and click!

This, however, is the school of thought James Lubinga does not subscribe to. To this 36-year-old, there is a lot more to being a photographer than having the mere ability to point the lens and click. To him, photography is a complete blend of skill, style, creativity, professionalism and most importantly, passion.
“Unlike the ordinary camera owner who just takes pictures for fun, real photographers use both heart and soul in capturing and bringing every moment to life. Personally, I strive to take pictures that tell a story, images that speak. I like to do the kind of portraits that stroll right off the walls and walk,” a passionate Lubinga intimates.

Self-discovery
Originally, Lubinga’s place was not behind the camera but in front of the classroom. He trained as a teacher, specialising in Geography at Makerere University, Kampala. He even went on to teach Geography. “I taught from 2003 to 2011, mainly at Seroma and Seeta high schools. Teaching is not something I just ended up in. It was something I treasured, that is why I did it with love.”

But silently, he nursed another passion—photography. Taking great pictures was always something he enjoyed, but also something he thought was only part of his profession.
“I always loved the practical part of geography. Map reading and photographic interpretation were activities I greatly participated in while at university, so I was always out in the field. It is then that I would take pictures of nature. I am a lover of the natural environment so these pictures always sparked something in me. That is when I also started to discover myself as a photographer,” he reminisces.

The emerging fascination with photography saw Lubinga take a two-week trip to the coast of East Africa, from Mombasa to Dar el salaam and Mwanza with nothing else but his camera. His major aim was to take pictures of natural coastal features for his Geography class back home. “I wanted my students to receive first-hand facts and information, something these pictures provided. But what these pictures of nature also did was to build my love and confidence in my own skill as a photographer. Everyone who looked at them found something unique about them. Slowly, basing on my works and passion, I started discovering my instincts as a photographer. And trust me, self-discovery is very important. You need to pay attention to yourself, find out what you love and can do best because, many times the things you are passionate about are not random. They could be your calling.”

From chalk to camera
Taking his first stab at professional photography, Lubinga covered the wedding of a fellow teacher at Seroma and to his amazement, the money he walked away with for a day’s work was twice his monthly salary as a teacher. This was back in 2005 and during the same year, he shot at the school prom and got 10 times his salary.
For the following year, he booked and actually went ahead to cover the school proms for Seroma, Seeta High School and Uganda Martyrs Namugongo and the amount he walked away with was more than his salary by about 100 times!

“This got me thinking. I decided to take up photography alongside teaching. I started shooting mainly in schools. But in 2011, I had to give up teaching to concentrate on photography because obviously, it was paying more. Also, as a teacher, I had to teach the same topics every year and at some point, I got bored. Photography on the other hand was dynamic. Every other day I shot for different people, different locations and events, something that allows me to do more with my creative mind. I had to move on.”

He has not encountered a lot of challenges on his job, though the fact that people book photographers late has always been a problem. Worse still, even during the wedding itself, the photographer is allowed only 10 minutes for the pictures, yet the client has a whole lot of expectations. “Plus, the people think photography is too expensive.
For instance, Paramount Images Studio charges a minimum of Shs3 million to cover an event, which is as fair as it gets yet some have still insisted it is a lump sum.”

Lubinga’s tips on Building a photography company

Have passion. It may take skill to have a great picture, but if the task at hand is to build a leading photography company, I believe it is always going to take much more. I think passion and skill are a foundation.
Have the right gear. You could start with small cameras. We have seen some great pictures taken using basic cameras. But as time goes on you, need to stay competitive, which entails getting the right machines. Personally, I have always loved Canon cameras. Presently, I own a Canon 6D which costs $1,500 (about Shs5.4m). My favourite camera has, however, remained the Canon 5D Mac2. Presently it goes for about $1,200 (about Shs4.4m). This was my first full-frame camera I acquired four years back.

It is also important to invest in the right lenses. For me, prime lenses have always done the magic due to their vibrancy, image sharpness and capability to shoot in low light. These lenses go for up to $2,200 (About Shs8m).
Style is very important as a photographer. My photography style has a dimension of nature. I love to beautifully incorporate nature in most of my work. Keen people can tell when a picture was taken by me. This has given me uniqueness and set me apart from the crowd, which is why many clients have sought after my services.