In the first of our TALKING PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES, Hazel Mphande chats to Bob Mukendi: TALKING PHOTOGRAPHY : SUBJECT 1: BOB MUKENDI Bob Mukendi is a 23-year- old up and coming photographer and graphic designer from Johannesburg. He’s always had a passion for the arts. Starting off with music and drawing, this eventually led his interests into photography. Bob studied graphic design for two years before taking a break and pursuing his passion for photography. Bob focuses his eye on street photography due to its spontaneous nature. This also allows him to be alone which is usually the time when he is fully present. Photography as a subject is really hard to define. One could easily call it image making but surely there is always more to something than what is on the surface. Looing at Bob’s work there is a lot more to him in these photographs than what one sees. My interpretation of his work and of his persona remains consistent every time I look at his work: Bob is either looking for something or himself. He is mysterious and both oblivious and fully present (sometimes.) I sat down with him to discuss his interest in photography and what it’s like being a photographer in Johannesburg right now. Why photography? I’m not too sure to be honest. Photography wasn’t always something I was into. It kind of only came into play a year after I matriculated. I think it had to do with lasting memories. That’s how it started. I became very intrigued the ability of making time stand still through photography. The ability to capture a moment and make it last forever. A camera for me is similar to a flying delorean (Time machine from back to the future). I could go back in time and relive any moment I captured and I became obsessed with that. Describe your photography style. I’m still trying to figure that one out, but at the moment I shoot a lot of black and white, street photography. The streets have a very spontaneous aspect to them and it’s very uncontrolled -which is something I really love. It’s almost like listening to free jazz or math rock – the tempo and rhythm changes so frequently and you never know when it’s going to take a sharp turn and transform into something completely different. You can always come out with something fresh on the streets I feel. Apart from the streets I shoot some abstract stuff. Not sure why but the results can be quite interesting and fun. What is your experience like as a photographer living in Joburg? Besides getting mugged, I really enjoy shooting in Joburg. It can be very hard to get noticed, but yeah, you’ve just got to keep at it. I’ve also realized that there’s a major influx of photographers, raising the competition. So you’ve definitely got to bring that fire. Read the full feature here: barcodedmag.co.za/magazine/talking-photography-subject-1-bob-mukendi/
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 05:36:39 +0000
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