Meet Matthew Kizito | Photographer & content creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Kizito and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Outsiders, in this case, clients, are unaware of the commitment and time it takes for a photographer to produce good images. A good photograph is more than just clicking a button on the camera. It starts with the perception of what the final image should look like, not rushing the photographer while on set is very important. There’s lighting to get right, and camera settings that keep changing from scene to scene. Then there’s is post-production which involves editing these images. Many people believe that anything is possible or adjustable with the various editing tools out there which might or might not be true but I keep telling young aspiring photographers who want to learn a thing or two from me that photography is like cooking, you can’t spice burnt food. Same way with editing, if the photo was not good straight out of the camera, no amount of editing would make it great or you would have to go through too much work to bring it to life which would have been done on set. Finally, clients should first understand the style of a photographer before hiring them to do your work. You’ll get disappointed hiring photographer A to produce work like photographer B yet you could directly hire photographer B in the first place but that’s a whole other topic.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My photography is a learning art from other artists and what sets me apart from others is that I’m “Big on Quality”. I’m excited about the growth in a very short period of time. I’ve been doing this for only 3 years but I love the heights at which I am and the quality of work I’m producing, the quality of clients on my list, and the big names in the industry I have made friends with. I’ve gotten to where I am through persistence and accepting to learn from my mistakes, it hasn’t been easy and isn’t getting any easier ahead. There are times you do what you feel is your best at work and the client isn’t happy with the work. The first step is remorse, two is finding out where I’ve gone wrong, and three is working on that area such that you don’t fall short again to the client or to another client. I want the world to know that the brand Bwana Matayo is progressive and I learn something new every day and aim at providing a better service every time I’m out there.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A week-long here? They wouldn’t want to leave. First, we’d go for karaoke nights around town, live band nights, and to the cinema. There’s a lot to enjoy here, our nightlife is so enthralling. There are a number of restaurants in the city serving local dishes, those are the only places we’d eat from and have that ‘luwombo’ like it were made by granny in the village. I personally love being indoors but we’d hang out at night surely.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shout out to my lovely sister Maggie (MVanessa makeup and hairstylist) for she’s the reason I’m a photographer in the first place. If it wasn’t for her guidance, mentorship, and sponsorship in the first place, I wouldn’t be having this interview.

Email: bwanamatayo@gmail.com

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