 Tuesday morning to you. My name is Hilda Wadidi and you are watching Enterpreneurship Tuesday. As you know, this is the show that lets you know how young people out here are making ends meet, how they're enjoying themselves and still getting some checks. So now our first interview for the day on Enterpreneurship Tuesday is a focus on photography. So if you do want to participate in the conversation, do make sure you slide into our DM at Y254 channel on Twitter. The hashtag is Enterpreneurship Tuesday on Facebook at Y254 on Instagram at Y254 underscore channel and on DSTB Bear channel 376. So make sure you do participate. So it's about time I introduced a gentleman with me in studio. So focus on photography. Focus photography is here. I know the plan is twisted. Focus, focus, focus. But anyway, let them say good morning to you first. Hi, my name is Steven Gerald. Focus photography, media and publicity. Okay. Yep. My name is Rohan Cherry, founder of Focus Photography. So let's go back to the basics. When did you guys find your passion in photography? And why did you decide to pick this particular line of work? I think it found us, if I can say that. It's one of those things that I was always curious personally when I was growing up. My dad would kind of buy cameras and maybe like a week later that camera's gone because I'm busy messing with it or whatever. So it kind of came to me that way. And I just always had a fascination with it from then on. So for how long have you been doing it? Professionally. Maybe going into our 10th year now. 10 years. Yeah. But I've used to mess around with cameras since we were kids. And yeah, so it's been a really long time. Okay. So what about you, Steven? It's a pop photographer. I've always loved art in general. Growing up, my big sisters and brothers were always artistic. My mom is very artistic. And later on, meeting up with Rohan, we always used to do video work but love photography. And I think that's when we decided also to start doing it professionally. But my background is artistic. Your background is very artistic. Okay. So let me ask you, did you train yourself to do it or did you go somewhere where you needed to train? How to do it professionally? I think that's our question. Most young people tend to ask themselves, do I need to train? And where did you guys train? Most of it is actually self-taught. Personally, I went to film school and I think that's where I kind of developed my skills a bit. You went to film school? Which one? The New York Film Academy. Okay. So that's kind of where I developed my understanding of film and photography. But the basics were already kind of ready there. I'd already started. So you can do it yourself. You can sort of start it from just a basic, just having a phone and kind of teach yourself from there. So it's just passion. You like it, you just teach yourself. Exactly. What about you, Steven? My undergrad is in communication. Back in the day, kind of old. We didn't have a film like we do now. So my background was in communication. But again, my diploma was really hands-on because back when I did my diploma, we were actually doing photography with film and you know, that's back in the day kind of photography. You had to finish the film before you start a new one. So my background is a bit different because of the basics that I went through. But yes, to answer your question, I think if it's a field that you feel you want to get into, it's also good to get the books so that you can be what we now call a professional. You can back it up with the paperwork and you do it practically. Okay, interesting. So I like the fact that you mentioned that back in the day things were done very differently. Technology has really changed from back then until now. How have you guys been able to keep up with it? To keep up with the new technology, to use their new equipment, their new software because now everything went digital. How did you guys transition and manage to stay afloat for almost 10 years? It's a constant transition. You have to keep up with everything that comes. You have to be knowledgeable with the latest equipment, the latest software just to stay competitive. Yes, you can be niche and I've seen these photographers who still use film and that's fantastic, but you'll have maybe a few headaches trying to process film and all that stuff. But to stay, I think to stay competitive you have to keep up with what's happening now. So we're kind of old, we had dinosaurs in a bit, but so we had to kind of like... The dinosaurs! Yeah, but we had to evolve and be like, no, we have to do this otherwise we'll be just left behind. Okay, so let me ask a question that most people tend to ask specific photographers because I think it's different for all of you. What do you call, what do you categorize as a good picture? What factors do you look for for you to say now this is a good picture? That is such a tricky question. I mean you could say things like composition and lighting, but I've also realized, I've come to realize that everyone's taste is different. Something that I find compositionally fantastic, someone else could just find completely nothing, you know, like then it doesn't attract them, it doesn't draw them in and vice versa, you know, something else that's maybe underexposed, someone might think that's fantastic, but to my I'm like, well, so I think it's completely subjective, but they are fundamental that of composition and lighting that make a good picture technically. What about you, Steven? What do you believe makes a good picture, considering you're the superb photographer? I think it's again subjective, but it depends on what you're doing the picture for. If it sends the message that you wanted it to send. So for you it's about the cause? It's about the cause, yes, because as he said, you do something different for something and someone wants a low exposed photo because of a certain reason and someone wants a good exposure photo because of a certain reason. So for me, at the end of the day, it tells the message because a picture is supposed to say more than a thousand words. So if it does that for you, whichever method you can achieve, then that's a good photo. Well before, I think we'll go back to that because when we look at some of your work, I think when you explain how you took some of the pictures, you'll be able to see some of those aspects being brought out. But in the space of entrepreneurship Tuesday and trying to promote the young people that are trying to get into this, as a photographer, what is it that I must have? What should I have? Like for the basics, the basics, if I wanted to become a photographer today, what tools do I need? Basic, basic, the most basic. Drive and passion. Drive and passion. What about a quick-med camera? If you've got a phone, I would say most young people might probably have a phone and which has a camera, you can get started. So the equipment is not, that's not what I think you should be worrying about at the beginning. As long as you have the drive and the passion for it, that's a good place to start. Steven, do you feel like you want to add on that drive and passion? No, because at the end of the day, what I've also come to realize after these many years in photography, I also tend to believe it's not the equipment that you have, it's the idea. Because many people don't have lights and flash, speed lights and different type of lenses, but if you have the idea in your head, you'll find a way of achieving it, even using the sun. So at the end of the day, as I said, it's what you have in your mind, trying to bring it out. The equipment comes to help you do that. Okay, so I want to understand how you two meet. That's something else that people are curious about. How did you guys meet? Where did this union begin? It's not something I wanted, but it just happened, I guess. No, we used to work together at a company called Blackstar, which was an events company, but we used to do TV shows and various things. So I had joined in 208 working on a TV show, and I think he came just a few years later, and then we just clicked. And yeah, from there, just... And you decided to start Focus Photography? Yeah, well actually, I started Focus with another friend of mine who I've known since I was born, basically, with family friends. But we didn't realize that we both liked photography until much later, and when we did, we're like, well, why don't we come together and start something new? And so we did, and then yeah, and then Steve came over, a little later. Tell me about the process of forming the meme. Focus, focus. I can tell, photo, focus. Like I said, we're old, right? So in the 90s, there was this whole thing about pH, fat, like you say, that's fat, and it was pH. So yeah, my partner was like, well, it should be focused on the pH, and I'm like, sure, yeah, why not? And you just ran with it? And we just ran with it, yeah. I think also it's kind of laziness, because at that point, when we're going through so many memes, you know, focus is fine. You had given up and it came to look you for a name. Okay, interesting. Let's talk about how you got yourselves out there, how you guys put yourself on the market, when you decided to take your pictures, how much did you even sell your first photo for? How did you get your presence online? I think that's a story you would like to hear. I like how you talk about online. We were way before. Yeah, then I saw you. Yeah, exactly. I think when we started, it was with those words of mouth, basically. I mean, I think our first wedding was for free. And then the next person kind of saw a photo. We build a website. Oh, you did a few pro bonos? Yeah. When we started, it was mostly pro bono. So then, yeah, that's when we started using Facebook and our website to kind of promote our work a little bit. And it took a couple of months. I didn't even say almost a year before we actually started getting paid on a regular basis. Almost a year? Oh, so the things require patience? Yeah, a lot of patience. You forgot to mention that in the requirement. Because maybe I'm just going to go out there and immediately start earning money. Like, you know, it takes a lot of work. And I wish, like I wish I'd done maybe a mentorship before that. I never had that chance. Because we just went straight into it. But I think that's something that's really important that's kind of missing these days. Back in the day, if you're getting into photography, you'd kind of be under the tutelage of a professional photographer who kind of show you the ropes and then you kind of learn that way. So that's another way, which is, I think, is being lost, but kind of should come back as well. The apprenticeship. Apprenticeship. Apprenticeship. So one of them. It's been a long time. Anyway, Steven, let's talk about you. I think, are we supposed to mention that we had a company before? There's no problem. Say it all. Again, also about the photography, we also had a company before that was called Why Not. That's why my Instagram handle is Steve Why Not. Why Not? Yes, because that was a company back then. So again, even then, we were still doing a lot of photography. And I think it also kind of helped because we had material from way back. We just didn't open focus photography and begin from scratch. We've been doing photography from way back when. So when the digital platform came on, we started uploading. And it also helped apart from word of mouth. Apart from word of mouth. Wow. So you guys have basically been even stacking your work, you've been doing the work, you know, the opportunities came. So opportunities need to find you ready as well. Yeah, basically. Okay, so let's look at some of your pictures and then we can talk about your style and the techniques when it comes to that. So I think if we can have it on the screen, it would be really good to have some of the pictures. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Now we have this one. Who took this one and what was happening? This was an engagement shoot for this lovely couple. And they just wanted something very natural and just out in the open and in nature. So fortunately, we found this place in Karen. Yeah, and they were like, I think one of our favorite clients, they were very relaxed, very chill, open to suggestions. They were natural themselves. Very natural. Yeah, very natural. I can see one Sarah Hassan. Yes, Sarah Hassan. The Queen of Plan B. Yeah, so this was at Sovereign Suits in Nemuru. It was actually for a pilot for a TV show. So I was just doing the kind of behind the scenes photos and yeah, there was this window and I just thought, well, I don't want any extra light from it. Just had this lovely light coming from the window. Because you can see the darkness. Yeah, the shadows are really loved it. Yeah, that's another friend of ours. She's actually a makeup artist and she kind of did makeup on herself. Oh, so now you had to take a close up. Yes, I really wanted to get the detail and stuff. So yeah, so yeah, that was that one. She's also a photographer. She's also a photographer herself. What is happening here? This was for blankets and wine. I think it was like sometime last year. Yeah, and he was one of the performers and we just wanted to try something different, just minimal light. I think it's just one light on that one. Yeah, so we just wanted to play around with the shadows and yeah, keep it simple basically. I can see the way the light was just focused on his heart. Exactly, nothing just blowing out the face or anything. What do you call that? What technique is that? What do you call it? It's just a raw thing. It's just a focused thing, I guess. Okay, so let's talk about things. What is happening in the field? Tia, she was a musician. I think she's more into makeup now. Yeah, so she needed some promo pics, which a lot of artists come and they constantly need to update their catalog and their photos that they can use for the next couple of months or a year or whatever. So yeah, she needed some promo pics. So we really wanted to focus on like just a close-up of her face. Why? What is the story when you focus on someone? For me, it's always about the eyes. So I always want to capture as close to the eyes as possible and keep the eyes, because that's the first thing as humans you're drawn to. The first thing you do is look at the eyes and then you look at everything else. So for me, that's my biggest focus. How do you get babies to focus? So I can say you have a baby over here. This is maybe one of hundreds of photos. Yeah, so you just have to be ready for the moment. Yeah, babies, you can't really tell them anything. So you just have to be ready for them, basically. They're not going to wait for you. So you have to be the one who is the time being proper, your timing has to be correct. That is my sister. So this was their pre-wedding shoots. Very randomly, I just had this idea as you're driving down towards Naivasha, this forest. And we ran down there first thing in the morning. Now that's the thing. So there's a guy where she stopped as we had parked and he's like, what are you doing? And we're like, oh, we're taking photos. He's like, don't do that here. So we did this very quickly and ran off. But it was lovely. There's another one where it was foggy and it was really nice. I can see a superstar here, Adele Nyango. So she's been taking photos with us for the longest time. So every year or so, she updates her photos and she always comes by and has amazing fun. What is this technique? What is this tree? What was the story here? What was the story? What was the cause? Steven, you're big on causes. What was happening here? As I said, the picture is speaking to you. It's working. But it's a fun technique to try out as a photographer. We wouldn't reveal our technique because whoever wants to try it, of course, it's very simple to do. But you just need a little patience. And I have to say, having a good client like Adele who's willing to experiment, you know, you tell them, I've got this idea. And they're like, yeah, okay, fine, yeah. It's always fun to work with people like that. They allow you to be creative. So that's, that's always fun. So some of your clients, they were assistive. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I can see another love scene. Yeah. It's a cute little wedding scene. We like shiny, happy people. So yeah, it's always fun. It's more fun to capture, you know, people like having fun. I have thought something like wildlife on your own. Yeah, we do that as well. Yeah, yeah. I can imagine. Is there a difference? Like, can you take us through that big difference when it comes to taking pictures of humans and taking pictures of wildlife? The difference is you just have to be ready. That's like, you can't tell a lion to sit still and you know, just tilt your head like this a little bit. You just have to be ready. But funnily enough, that's what I initially wanted to do when I first started out. And I, I don't know why I haven't had it for a really long time, but actually, yeah, I'm going to get back into that. Well, babies are kind of the same. Yeah, mostly. You've got life and baby. David, you've not shown the babies nicely, right? I have a small baby. Yeah. And he can attest. I don't have pictures of her like for four months because she's always running around. It's hard to get it. You need the patience. Yeah. Okay, let's talk about something that you've talked about, which is dealing with people. I can imagine in your industry, you have, like I can say, both interact with a lot of celebrities. How do you deal with that difficult client? Or you take photos and they're like, no, I don't like this. Do this. Actually, we've been super lucky actually. We've never had a difficult client. They're usually very open to our ideas and we always want to hear what they bring to the table. I can't think of anyone who has been. Don't know that you mentioned them. Generally, I cannot think of anyone who is like difficult. They're all pretty decent people. Yeah, yeah, pretty easy to work with. So the superb photography, is your story, they say? I think the thing is, if you meet with your client and you have your pre-planned shoot and you know what you're going to do, and you deliver what you say you're going to do, then it becomes a bit hard to get an irate company. Yeah, and I also think it's nice to have a rapport. Like, even before you started shooting, it's good to talk and just get to know each other a little bit and see if it's a good fit. So far, we've just been lucky because we start talking to someone and they're very, you know, you just get along. So it makes it a lot easier on the shoot. Okay, so how do you retain your friendships, your customer relationships? What do you do? What do you do? Is it that you do hang out with them? Do you make a personal point of knowing like maybe their lives? What do you guys do to keep up with them? We pay them once in a while. You pay them? I keep coming back. Your models. No, I mean, again, it goes back to having a rapport with them. A lot of these guys, we end up just being friends and yeah, we can hang out with them after work. But when it's professional, we keep it professional. But we kind of know your boundaries as well. You know, you don't just start calling people out for no reason. It's like, okay, we took photos of you, but we're not actually best friends now. So you have to keep a professional kind of relationship and yeah. I can imagine, that's interesting. I can imagine you come, as much as you've been in the industry for a minute, the market has now become saturated. Now we have so many photographers coming up. All over the place, all over the country, all over the world. Everybody is now taking photos. How do you deal with the competition? How do you manage to stay afloat? I think one is that the word professionalism for me has been misused a lot. Someone will call himself a professional, but doesn't have the basic talents of being a professional. And that's where the difference comes in. And once you even in your own life work with a professional, you'll always find the difference between the two. And it goes to anything as simple as even going to a couch. You can go to a couch on the roadside and he treats you professionally like he doesn't pinch money from somewhere, your car. And that's what the difference is. So even if the market is saturated, whenever you encounter a professional, you'll always know the difference between a professional and someone who bought a nice camera and has nice equipment and has a big name on social media. But it's even as simple as keeping time. And that's for me. Oh, as simple as keeping time. Yeah, just as simple as keeping time. And as something also as simple as if I meet and tell you this is what I'll do. And I do it. I deliver it on time. Those simple things will keep you very different from someone else. Yeah. And also, this might sound weird, but don't get comfortable. You can't get comfortable in this industry. Yes, you might have been doing this for 10 years and your name is out there. But every single day, there's another 10 new photographers. So you cannot get comfortable. They are now coming up. So you have to like keep trying to outpace them. Yeah. You can't just sit back and say, well, people know me now. So that's the end of that. No, you just have to always level up. Okay, interesting. So let's talk about some of the challenges and the changes you would like to make when it comes to the photography industry. Oh, should I call the new industry industry? We will be not specifically photography. Are there any trends or changes that you think the government can make to make your life easier? The government? Yes. Even just generally, even just the environment, like what can be done better, even in our country in terms of the laws and rules, that would make your lives easier. Is there any encounters that you've had that have been very disturbing? Like, yes, like I said, the one you talked about when you went to take the picture in the bush. Yeah, security. Yeah, let's talk about that. Which is weird because that day, I mean, a guy literally stopped him, like he was heading to wherever and he still had to stop us and be like, just be careful because of security. But there was another day we were shooting in town and city council were on us like that, you know, and they were willing to take me to jail. And I'm like, one like on the street, we're kind of off to the side. And I mean, I think they just wanted something, something. But those are the kind of things I wish were better addressed by our government. But that's that's a personal thing. Steven, head of publicity. Please, can you say something? I'd like to speak on more the photographers. I think many people have always tried to form something so that like when we do photography, you can tell who the professional photographers are and who the not so professional photographers are so that clients who need to work in can kind of like distinguish who's who for me that that would be good like a database. Yeah, so that kind of like the guys who are doing good stuff are separate from the people who are not to be categorized. Because there are so many factors, like someone would come and tell you, I want to take a picture for a hundred. And someone else will charge you a thousand. You'll see the difference at the end. But when you walk in, of course, you want to pay 100. And that's why I want to put that kind of like professionalism different from walk-ins and people who are not yet there yet. Yeah, so that you can also grow the ones who are coming up and just distinguish between the two. But I think that might kind of stifle the industry or at least the amateurs because they might never get jobs because of something like that. You know, like if there's a net under the wing. Yeah, so it goes back to apprenticeship. It might work. Yeah, it might work. It's also in the area of apprenticeship, I would so to speak. It's about time we conclude this interview. But I'd like as a parting shot for you four photographers out there. I know you've seen a lot, even a lot of knowledge already. But as a parting shot, aside from drive and passion and patience, what else can you tell someone at home who is interested in this? Get started now. If you, again, you've got a camera in your pocket. There's nothing limiting you. That's a great thing about photography. If you've got the sun, a bit of light and a camera, I can't see any like too many limitations to your passion and there shouldn't be. And you have to start from somewhere. We didn't just wake up with cameras in our hands and we have to start from somewhere. So don't be afraid to experiment as well. Don't be afraid to, just because you're seeing this person doing that and you're like, I can never get to that level. You do your thing. People will gravitate to you. It's, that's the great thing about photography and art in general. People will gravitate to your art, to your truth and be happy with what you do first and then worry about the rest later. So get started and explore and the universe will do its thing. Okay, what about you, Steven? I want to say again, if you're trying to do it as a profession, where you want to do photography and make money out of it, be professional. Yeah, just read what it needs to be a professional and do it. If it goes, if it means getting the paperwork and after you get the paperwork, when you start working, be professional. Keep time, keep your books and even if you're an amateur going in, all these things will come in to fruition a little later and you'll see the fruits of being a professional. Yes. I can also see patients hidden somewhere inside. All the tenants of being a professional. Okay, can you please let the fans know your social media handles as well, where they can reach you in case they wanted to. Yeah, on IG, yeah, on IG were focus underscore photo, so focus ph, ph fat. Focus for fair. Yeah, our website focusphoto.co.ke and Facebook we are focused photography. Yeah. All right, thank you guys so much for coming to the studio. Have a beautiful day. Yes, you've been talking to the gentleman from Focus Photography. We've had Steven Gerro and Juan Roy Cherry. Thank you so much, gentlemen. Please do not go anywhere. It's Entrepreneurship Tuesday. We've been talking about photography. If you wanted to get in the industry and you've just tuned in right now and you missed it, don't worry at two o'clock. We are coming back. So make sure you do follow up and also on YouTube at Y24 channel. My name is Hilda Aditi. One more time, please. Descend by for one very most