 Freestyle Friday morning to you. You are watching Why in the Morning and as you have heard it is Freestyle Friday only on Y to 5 4 channel. If you do want to participate in the conversation make sure you do find us on all our social media platforms at Y to 5 4 channel. The hashtag is Why in the Morning, hashtag Freestyle Friday, Pali Twitter and on YouTube you can find us at Y to 5 4 channel. On Instagram you can find us at Y to 5 4 underscore channel. And just in case you miss any of the valuable insight make sure you do catch up with us because in studio today we have royalty. In the spirit of the photography edition we have royalty in studio. We have a lady who has won numerous awards and has done quite a number of works here in Africa. I have Georgina Goodwin who is a documentary photographer that's what you'd like to call it. Her work has been featured by CNN and here in Kenya in case you don't know she has covered quite a number of events. The Westgate attack, can you remember the Westgate terror attack? She won an award for the best Kenya news photographer that was in the year 2014. My name is Hilda Wadidhi and if you're interested in photography even film and making documentaries you are watching the right show so make sure you do talk to Georgina. Georgina say good morning to the people. Good morning everybody this is Georgina nice to meet you. You're most welcome to Y24 for the very first time somebody as accomplished as you are. DJ Khalifa would you like to say good morning to Georgina? Good morning. Nice to meet you too. Yes, thanks. All right amazing and I hope you did catch that interview with one Barry Moses and Tatiana Karanja. Today we're celebrating even the ladies who are doing this photography. So Georgina you're very passionate about social issues and women and the environment. Why? Why did you even stumble upon this line of work? I feel that it's very important to use the medium of photography which is something that I stumbled into to be able to tell the stories that are not being told so much. It's not really by choice that I do it. There's something inside me that just makes me want to have to do this. I need more meaning for the creation of my images. It can't just be a pretty picture. It has to have depth and it has to have a reason for it to exist. And in that I try and help people understand issues that maybe they haven't come across before or they don't know very much about. Okay, so is this just a passion or did you have to go under some training in order to be as good as you are? It's definitely a passion. A lot of times it's not an assignment. It's not work. It's actually something that I would be doing anyway because I love what I do. I've never had any formal training except for one week when I had a workshop training with Magnum and National Geographic photographer David Allen Harvey. And I learned a lot in that week. But what seems to happen for me through my work and the experiences that I put myself through, every couple of years I have a breakthrough in my style and who I am. It either naturally happens or I have to work very hard to reinvent myself. So I work hard on myself to progress. Okay, so how do you handle all the recognition? You're quite recognized. You are among the first speakers to talk at a TEDx talk in a refugee camp. Interesting. So how do you handle the recognition? How do you feel about it? What does it do for you? It's very sweet that you say I'm very recognized. Actually I don't feel very recognized at all. As a photographer, a documentary photographer, I know many, many other documentary photographers work very much alone. And because I work alone, I certainly don't feel that I'm out there a lot being recognized. But I work very hard on my Instagram to make sure that my stories are purposeful and that I am out there as much as I can be. But as far as the TEDx talk in Kakuma, I work very much with the UNHCR, UN Refugees Agency, on and off now for about a year and a half. And I'm very, very passionate about the work that I do with them. And in October and November 2017, I went to Nyarugusu and Nduta refugee camps in Tanzania. And for me, it hit me, it hit me really, really hard that these people are just not being, their stories are not being told and the world just does not even know what's happening there. So for me, I put myself forward for the talk and I said, I really want to show my work. I want to be part of this conversation. And so, yes, it was, I haven't used my brain like that since leaving university. It was, it was fried afterwards, trying to memorize and putting the nerves to rest. But it was an incredible movement and I'm very proud that I was able to be part of that. Okay, well, let me talk about some of the work that you've done. Some of the work that you've done, you said you do it alone actually. Yeah, I work alone. How do you incur the risk? Post-election violence, you are there. The rest guitar attack, you are there. How do you take care of your own security when you're taking these risks? You have to be very careful actually. Firstly, there's some cardinal rules as a photojournalist when you're on the ground. People must know where you are. You've got to connect with other photographers, other writers, other media people, your loved ones. Let them know exactly where you are at all times so that you can be, you know, they can keep an eye on you. Yeah, you've just got, you've got to tune into the surroundings, what's going on and only be in the position where you know that you can be safe. I actually started to try and go into the Westgate building and a shot fired past me and I thought, you know what, I don't have any protective kit here so I need to back out of this. And I did, I backed out. Yeah, and I'm still here. Thankfully. Wow, okay. So can we understand, have you ever had an experience where you nearly lost your life, you know, or something except from that one that you've just talked about a bullet just passing through. Have you ever had an experience where you thought, okay, now I almost died now, seriously. I need to take care of myself. You know what, no. And that experience with Westgate when I nearly went in and I chose to back out was a big lesson for me. There was, I came to the edge of who I am and I thought, actually, the words were told to me once, no image is worth your life. And that came into my mind and I thought, I'm very, very pleased that I'm somebody that's not going to go into this building and risk my life. I know where my edges are. So I'm very careful. And even when I was photographing post-election violence in 2017, 2018, there were times when I didn't know the direction of the anger, the direction of the movement, the direction of the bullets. And that's the time where I stopped, I put my camera down and I had my back to the edge of safety so I could face in. And I remember stopping, filming the petrol station being blown up because there was too many people moving, too many things happening and I had to actually stop and watch it instead of photographing it because I wasn't safe and I had to go to the edge and look back. Okay. I'm glad that you said that. At home, don't just go putting themselves at risk. But all right, let's talk about some of the good things, the things we can celebrate. I can see some of your pictures here and I can see a lioness over there. How did you come that close to take that picture? I can see the risky pictures everywhere. Tell me about that one. It's actually, this is one of the first photos that I took that has been recognized. It was in 19, sorry, yeah, was it 19, no, 2005. I entered that cheetah image and that first lion image that you saw into Kodak were partnering with, with, gosh, was it Village Market or it was with the local magazine Travel News. And I entered both the competitions and I won both of them with those two images and that was the start of my career as a photographer. I thought this is something that I have, a talent, I should work for it. But that image, I was actually in a vehicle and the lioness was very close and in the Masai Mara, they're so used to vehicles, you can actually get quite close. And I had my zoom lens and just at that moment, she was in a tussle with her little friend and she looked up and I took the picture. And I love that picture actually. I'm not a wildlife photographer anymore but I do, I love that image, yeah. Okay, interesting. So let's talk about your shots. What do you call, what do you classify as a good shot? When you take a shot, what are some of the qualities you look at and you're like, okay, now this is a good picture. This is what I strive for every single time I have my camera against my face and I have my finger on the button. That iconic image that is a standalone image that can tell everything in one shot. And it's what I strive for every time. So what do I look for? I look for light, I look for shadow and I look for magic. I look for that moment that's in between the moments. The moment that is quiet and beautiful and full of magic. And sometimes you have to be patient. You have to wait for that magic to unfold in front of the camera. And sometimes it doesn't come and or you're in a hurry or I'm on someone else's agenda. So it's difficult. I can see you somewhere over here with Nelson Mandela. The iconic Nelson and Winnie Mandela. Wow. Tell us about this. Well actually Yvonne Chakachaka is in that frame as well with her husband, Tiny. I met Yvonne on an assignment working in malaria and she's the rollback malaria ambassador for rollback malaria. So on a lot of assignments in the early days of my career, I spent a lot of time with Yvonne and we became very good friends. She's the most incredible, beautiful woman. Yvonne Chakachaka herself. I was having dinner with them in Johannesburg and Tiny, Dr. Tiny Mhinga is her husband and he's a board of directors for the Mandela Trust and he said we're opening this hospital for Mandela with Mandela in July in a couple of months time. Why don't you come down and we'll host you and you can document him opening the hospital. So of course, I paid my way but I got to meet Mandela and I will never ever forget it. Wow. I actually cried. You cried? He's the most incredible man. Okay, interesting. Out of all the awards that you've won, because there are quite a number, which one do you feel is the best one, the one that moved you the most out of all the awards? Well, I still don't feel like I've made it in terms of awards. There's still a lot of awards that are out there that are very coveted by many photographers, especially in the international arena like World Press, Sony World Photography Awards. And yes, so I'm still in the running for those, trying to work for those, but really the Kenyan Youth Photographer of the Year for the Westgate. Firstly, as a Kenyan, I know many people don't believe or understand or know that I'm actually Kenyan. I don't have another passport. So I was born here. My history of my country and my family are tied together. So I'm very proud. I'm very proud to be Kenyan and being able to even enter the award, you have to be Kenyan and then to win the news photographer of the year with the Westgate. You know, there's such a difficult situation, painful for Kenya. And so for me, that was a beautiful award to win and I'm very sorry that it had to happen, but I'm glad I was there to document it. Well, congratulations on winning it anyway. Thank you very much. I can see that you're also a writer here. You've written for different publications before. So you're a jack of all trades. When did you begin to write, aside from taking photos? Well, I actually write a little bit. It's not my primary income or my primary job. I don't offer myself as a writer. These I actually have been working with writers. So I prefer to do it that way. I'm much more comfortable in the field of photography. So I work with writers and we put together articles. Or I'm assigned by companies and agencies and I go out and I photograph and they will either send a writer at the same time or afterwards and we put that together as pieces. And these are publications of my work since the beginning. I can see the spoils of Mont Kilimanjaro. That sounds very interesting. I'd like to check that one out a bit later. So wait if I follow family, if you're interested, make sure you do follow Jajina Goodwin on YouTube and on Instagram as well, yes. However, now it's Freestyle Friday and we wanted to have some fun with you here. We have some very interesting questions lined up by one masaikita and we want to talk about your reaction to some of these things because apparently these are statements that you should never tell a photographer. So we'll go through them and then you'll tell us whether anyone has ever said this to you and how you felt about it. So if we can have it on the screen, that would be really nice. Yes. The first one, the very first question, that things not to tell a photographer. I would like to understand from you. In the meantime, while they are looking for it, I think it's about to come on the screen just now. In hindsight, all through the years that you've been at this, what are some of the biggest lessons you can say you've learnt as a photographer? Just before we delve, I can see the first question. The first statement has already come up. But what can you say are some of the biggest lessons that you have collected over the years and throughout all the different locations and countries that you've got? For a young photographer at home who's probably like, wow, I'd like to go try this. What are some of the lessons you've learnt, aside from safety? Aside from safety, actually that's one of the critical ones. So we've discussed that one. One of the most important things that I feel has been important in helping me become successful and earn a living as a photographer is to be very professional and very consistent with who I am and my output and the quality of images and the product that I give to clients. Being able to do a very fast turnaround, high images and just being a no-fuss consultant is actually very important. No-fuss consultant. Yeah, you just get the job done and be very professional about it. That's it, and consistent. All right, all right. Get the job done, be consistent and be a no-fuss. No-fuss, no-fuss. All right, so this is some of the questions that were compiled for what not to say to a photographer. Okay, your reflex takes amazing pictures. I'd like to hear your reaction. Has someone ever said this to you? I have never, ever had anybody say that to me. That sounds like the most amazing pickup line. No one's ever said that to me. All right, so for you it sounds like a pickup line. Okay. Oh, I can see what you're doing to react to the second one. Okay, so you're going to adjust me with Photoshop later, right? I photographed quite a few weddings and a lot of the women, the brides, have said this to me. They said, make me look better. And I'm like, and of course you must reply, no, no, you don't need it, you don't need it. Well, it's actually nice. As a documentary photographer, I don't tidy up or mess with any of the images. I shoot what I take. That's one of the criteria of hiring me as a wedding photographer. Then it's a commercial package, but it's a documentary style. So you want to capture the moment. You don't want stories about people telling you to tidy it up and make it look nice. I'll set up some shots if it's for the wedding and things, but no touch ups, no getting rid of lines and bags. It's what it is. And pimples, if it's bad, I might, but yes. If it's that bad, she might. So there's this one. Why is the background so blurred? I've had various versions of that one. People saying, how do you get the images so blurred so you have that nice professional look? And then it's necessary then to explain a little bit about the way the camera works and how you create that style. My father is quite particular. He's an old fashioned photography. If there's a beautiful image that's done, it's called motion blur, you do it on purpose. And he goes, no, no, blurred, blurred. So he wants everything sharp. Okay. So it helps you even focus on what you're actually seeing when you blur the background. Yeah, it's a way, it's a style of shooting that we all use as photographers. Okay. So now there's this other one. Come on. It's just a couple of shots. Yes. I've done this many, many times. Again, weddings, I did a wedding last year at a very prestigious resort in the Masai Mara and they strictly, we were supposed to be only shooting for six hours and these people went on until midnight and this was what they were saying. No, no, a couple more, a couple more shots. Like it's easy. Yeah, like it's easy. Like they're paying me for it. All right. Okay. So this one, shoot me for free and I'll promote you. Oh, big no, no. Oh my goodness. I like that you've just gone like, no, no, no. This one happens a lot to photographers when they're first starting out and I, well I'm saying that because I experienced it a lot in the first seven years of my 12 year career and still maybe people are still trying to pull this one on me. This is a big no, no. They want to pay you with exposure. Yes, yes. All right, all right. So there's one more. Turn everything black and white except for one detail. Yeah. This for me is very nice as an amateur photographer. If you're serious about your work, unless this is very, very, very structured and you really are doing this because it's the style that you do and you're known for it, I would really try and stay clear of this. It means you're just playing around. You don't really know what you're doing. Okay. All right. People are playing games. Goodness. All right. But I wouldn't, it's not a serious bit of photography. That. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So make me look good. Got it? Oh. Okay. Yeah. I guess there's only so much you can do as a photographer, but mostly people, they either really look great in front of the frame or you have to work hard as a photographer and that is my job. It is my job to make people look good. So it would be mostly up to me if I put a frame out that wasn't good. That would be my fault. Well, what do you have for those people who believe they are not photogenic? Then they, to relax, relax, because everybody has something you really, really do. And even some, I remember in my early days, there was a young Kenyan model and she came in front of the camera and I thought, oh goodness, I might struggle with this girl because she had gappy teeth and, but my goodness, she came in front of the frame. I was like, wow, wow. Something just zinged. She looked amazing. So it got me humbled very early on to say don't judge before someone comes in front of the frame because it can swap the other way as well. Somebody can be very beautiful and then they come in the frame and you have to really work hard. They're blinking a lot or something like that. So I learned very early on to not judge until you work hard as a photographer to make sure that they look good either way. I used to be one of those people. I look better in person. I think I do as well. Look better in person, please. Okay, so there's one nice picture. Can you take another that's same as this? Interesting. Yes, I would take this one on. I would take this seriously. I would do my best. Yes, I've never been asked it to be honest, but I would do my best. It's a reasonable request. It's a reasonable request. I think so. Yeah. Oh God, I've just seen one that looks very notorious with the ladies. Can you make me thinner? Well, the answer, yes, that there's Photoshop. But as an ethical photojournalist and documentary photographer, no. Okay, so any ethics? You guys, these are ethics issues. Yeah, it's an ethical thing. And people should stop trying. I can't fish other people. Just be yourself, okay? Yeah. And then with that camera, I can take good pictures too. I think I've had this. I think someone said this to me. If somebody comes up and says this to a photographer, my suggestion and my response would be to just let them think that that's going to be the case. Because somebody who thinks that they can do that obviously is not prepared to listen to or thinks they know. So it's okay. They can continue to think that. All right. This is very notorious. That one is particularly notorious with the newsroom editors. All right. By the way, speaking of the newsroom, have you ever watched the newsroom? I'm seeing a lot of CNN, BBC, up in your profile. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Very nice. What's the difference between working in the newsroom and doing your own productions? Actually, you're a lot more relaxed in the newsroom. Everybody knows what they're doing. What? I expected the opposite. Well, yeah. But they know what they're doing. They're very organized. And you come in. There's a time. You start. You wait. A bit like with us. I mean, it's very similar to what we're doing now. Yeah, it's good. It's a nice place. But it's very structured. It's very structured. So there's no real freedom to, only within that minute or 30 seconds that you're given to speak is the freedom. Outside of that, you're very pinned into what you need, what's being said. Oh, okay. So now there's one more. Okay, there's one. Your work is easy. You just have to press a button. Wow. Oh, I'm even offended on your behalf. But anyway, okay. You know, at the end of the day, if you're the one that presses the button, that is your frame. That's your shot. So even if all the studio assistants set the shot up, the photographer then comes in and presses the button. So yes, to some degree, this is true. But I was just discussing it with my husband the other day. Photography is everything except pressing the button. It's connecting with the person that you need to photograph. It's getting them to be relaxed. It's having their knowledge and understanding of how to be safe. It's actually getting access to the story. The pressing the button is the very, very last 2%. You've got everything else before that is being a photographer. So it's 2%. All of you think it's just pressing the button. It's just 2%. Okay. That has been clarified. All right. So there's one more. Such the same if taken with an iPhone. Would it be the same if taken with an iPhone? Have you ever had somebody say, someone ask you if your picture can be duplicated on a phone? Actually, no. No one's asked this of me. Some very, I mean, as a Canon ambassador, you know, I work very, very much with my camera bodies. And that's definitely my staple way of bringing the images into my studio, to my workplace. But very occasionally, I would say the iPhone actually can do a better job with the low angles when you can put that tiny little lens right next to a puddle. Oh. There's some very creative stuff that you can do with a phone that is not really replicable in a big camera. So it does have some weight. It has a place. Yeah. Street photography is good. You don't have this big thing in the way. Uh-huh. But I know Canon do have a very nice little M100, little pocket camera that you can have. Yeah. So interesting. People should not take these phones for granted. They can also achieve some shots. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I've shot, I've actually taught at the Al-Ghakan University Foundation, a photojournalist course, by using your iPhone. Oh. Yeah. So people can be in the streets, do street photography, and the whole course was just using your iPhone. So is the iPhone the best, or I feel like asking because I don't have an iPhone. Yes. I have a very different phone, which is equally good. Actually, I did my own testing, and no, iPhone is not the best. Samsung. Galaxy is amazing. Samsung Galaxy. Yeah. And I'm sure there's more out there. My test was over a year ago, and I've not reviewed it. Uh-huh. So I'm a bit behind, and I'm still with iPhone because I'm just used to being, you know, synchronizing everything with the Mac, and I'm actually too scared to change my phone. Oh. But yeah, I think Samsung Galaxy is the best. They've done amazing. Good cameras. All right. Okay. Okay. iPhone. All right. Please. Now, people, please don't show up too much on Instagram. Thank you. Some of us have the Google Pixel 3. So we are waving our head. Thanks. Anyway, so for the final one, the final one on what not to say to our photographer, can I print it from Facebook? Have you ever had this question? I've never had this. Uh-huh. Can I print it from Facebook? Uh-huh. What would be my answer? Uh, but I think, yeah, because I don't know the answer, I would say, yeah, probably. Go and try. Probably. It depends on the size and the quality of the image that the person's actually uploaded to Facebook. Sometimes, I mean, you can upload to a 5 meg file or 4 meg file. In that case, yeah, you could probably print it from Facebook. All right. Interesting. So now that we're done with what not to say to our photographer, can I ask you about, do you have any upcoming projects that you have, that you're looking to work on this year, 2019, whether it has to do with women or the environmental climate? We're seeing the climate changing a lot. Is there anything we can look forward to, if we follow up with you, any documentary that could be coming up, that we could be, can we even feature in some of them? Sorry, some of us have to ask for us. Thank you. All right, Georgina, let us know. Sure. Well, this year, I'll continue to work with UNHCR, the refugee agency. Actually, next month, I'm going to Tanzania and Ethiopia with them on the mission with the High Commissioner. So there'll be some work coming out of that. That's the serious stuff. On a much more personal note, I'm very good friends with the chaplain of Kenyatta Hospital. She's a very beautiful lady, and she works tirelessly every single day. Even on Christmas Eve, she didn't go home till 10 o'clock. So I want to tell her story. I want to be with her and be with her in Kenyatta Hospital and find out what it takes for this incredible human being to help the people that she helps. So that's actually one of the personal stories that I'm doing at the moment. All right. We look forward to seeing some of your work. And thank you so much for coming to Y254. But before you leave, it's freestyle Friday. We like to have a lot of fun on Friday. And currently in Kenya, we're having a revolution of some sorts when it comes to Kenyan music. And I'd like to understand from you, do you have any favourites when it comes to Kenyan music? Do you have any artists that you like, a lot that you respect, any music that you love from here, from our very own? Please let us know, you know? Well, of course, Saudi Soul. Saudi Soul. Wow. I got to hang out with them, actually, in Korogochu, in the slums there. They're just the most beautiful people. I mean, they're beautiful to look at and they're beautiful. And the way they sing is like honey and milk. Oh, honey and milk. Honey and milk. They're definitely my favourite. And you know, they're so humble. They even said to me, they said to me, thank you. And are we really that good? And I'm like, oh my God. You guys, yeah. You're just, yeah, you're amazing. So yeah, Saudi Soul. And Erick Wainaina. Erick Wainaina. Oh my goodness. Yes, one to one. What an amazing man. He's also incredible. He's a very gentle person. Yeah, he's actually a friend. He's lovely. So which song of Erick Wainaina and Saudi Soul do you like the most? You know, my brain is fried right now. I'm not going to be able to pull that information out. Me, the Erick Wainaina songs, the ones I know, and he's singing in Kikuyu. Re ye re ke hor wani an. Eh, okay. Manangue te re re. Okay, Erick Wainaina. Today you have been given a shout out by Jajina Goodway. And thank you so much for coming through to the studio today. God bless you. I wish you the best of luck with your photography. I hope you do come back. Please follow Jajina if you're interested in photography. Make sure you catch up with her. Let her know what she likes in her shots. Let us know what she looks for when she's taking her shots. So if you've missed class, please follow us on YouTube. I tried to find four channels. In case you missed, in case you've just touched that dial right now and you're like, goodness, have missed it, please. Don't worry. You can catch us on YouTube. And at two o'clock, we will repeat this segment. So in case you did miss Tatiana or you've missed Jajina, please don't, don't lose hope. Don't lose hope. You can always find us online and on social media. Please don't go anywhere. DJ Khalifa is about to mix it up. Please. Please. Oh, okay. He's already, he's already cute. So look here, sir. It's fine. Okay, sir. It's all welcome through. My name is Hilda Wadidi. Don't go anywhere. Join me. Chacha is coming up with our next photographers of the day. I think he's going to love it.