Meet Ssamula Alvyn | Photographer and Visual Director

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

Hi Ssamula, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I really don’t know I guess it blood because the first camera I ever held was for my godfather it was a Nikon but I’m not sure what type it was. Generally my whole family has had a thing for art like when I was younger I discovered a bunch of photo albums with different pictures and different stories behind each of the pictures which I found really fascinating. The during lockdown I had a lot of free time so that when I really ventured into photography mainly Cinematic photography and Portrait photography hence the start of ElementsbySam

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In joining the Creative universe I wanted to bring something new to African Cinema-tics, being based in Nairobi, Kenya I’ve really acquired a lot of inspiration from various creatives. You see with this venture I’ve discovered that the biggest asset one has is exposure, personally social media has helped me discover all forms of art to build up my personal aesthetic board. The biggest challenge that one faces right now is creative block because I can go over two weeks with creative block or lack of inspiration but how I over come that is through exposure to different social media creatives for inspiration for example Deon Hinton (Okdeon) is one of the biggest social media creatives that inspires me. I want the world to know that I want to bring back film cinematography in a more familiar aspect while blending the current trends. I want the audience to be able to feel the emotions, the back story and the crucial elements entailed in a single image or in a short video( I’m venturing into videography soon) and that’s why the studio is called ElementsbySam.
It wasn’t easy the first time I got into photography because there was a lot of expectations to be met and I wasn’t sure what kind of image I wanted to bring out and I also had to balance School and the business at first, I still do actually because I like to joke around that I’m a Part-time business student which I actually am doing😂.

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.
First off we can start with breakfast (I’m not heavy on breakfast though but we can make exceptions here) we’d go to a cozy chill place cause it’s morning, no one likes noise in the morning, grab a fruit platter maybe some fresh pineapple juice and coffee with a croissant. Then could go gokarting cause I love adrenaline filled activities then lunch at an exclusive restaurant I love a chill restaurant with a beautiful aesthetic you can find many of those in Nairobi, and Uganda too my hometown then go back home Smoke and chill and talk about life generally😂 with some nice music playing in the background

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Ohh first off my Dad, he really encouraged me to take up my photography on a Hugh level since I first showed interest. I’d also like to thank my bestfriends Davis, Michelle, Peter, Herman and Tremaine for always encouraging me to do better and always applauding every small achievement that I make😂. And I always save the best for last my Mum for always funding me with everything I require for the success of my business❤️

Website: vs.co/Ssamula

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/ElementsbySam

Twitter: @ssamula_