Maasai Series, 2014.
Osborne Macharia:
I am a contemporary and commercial photographer raised and based in Nairobi with a Bachelors in Architecture and background in Design. I love digital arts and I am heavily driven by dynamic lighting which I try to drive across all my images through composites or full on-location lighting. My desire is to see African artists in all sectors including film, music, art and photography compete on a global stage and be recognised.
Sport Series, 2014.
About
OM: I discovered photography during my fourth year on campus when I failed a unit and had to sit out for one academic year redoing that one paper. I had a lot of time on my hands. One day I stumbled upon the work of renowned photographer Joey L. and that was the turning point for me. I was good at building architectural models which I did for a couple of architectural firms and I would buy photography gear from that. This went on for almost three years before photography was able to sustain itself while trying to balance between finishing school and establishing my photography business. That’s how my journey began.
Kawangware Series.
OKA: How would you describe your current artistic style? Do you think that you’ve settled into a style that reflects your passion? Or do you still discover new things every day?
OM: I honestly have no words to describe my style, it’s my audience who have described it for me. Some say it’s “a mixture of CGI and photography’ while others say it’s “photography with a painted effect bordering on illustration.” There was once someone by the name of Jannis Gabrielides who through Facebook described my work as such: “‘the classical painting-like aesthetics with warm and smooth colors, the deep shadows carving out the marks life has left on the model’s faces, and most of all the dignity that gives your characters a profound sense of beauty going way beyond that of superficial perfection.” That’s the best description I have heard of my work. In terms of settling on style, I think I have. Now it’s a matter of experimenting more within those lines as well as discovering more subject matter that will best be captured using this style.
(from interview with Jennifer Sefa-Boakye in Okayafrica, April 2015)
Maasai Series.
Copyright: Osborne Macharia.