When Lindah Lorah Nakitende, the owner of Peach Photography, speaks about her journey, you can’t fail to sit up and listen to how she changed course from Information Technology to photography.
Having completed her senior six at Kawanda Secondary School, Nakitende, a born of Mityana but grew up in Bukoto (a Kampala suburb) she joined the government owned Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology where she graduated with a diploma in Information Technology (IT).
IT, however, is not where her heart lay.
“When I completed campus, I got my first job in an IT company as an admin but I didn’t last long there. I left the company shortly to join another that was doing photography since this is where my heart was,” Nakitende, 32, summed up her journey.
She says that at the photography company, she didn’t last more than a year because her desire was to found a company.
“One day in 2017, I called my boss to inform him I was not coming to work anymore. They asked me why, and I told them, I had decided to start my own company. They didn’t receive the news well but there was nothing to do,” she says.
She says that being employed by some other person would limit her abilities and this prompted her to think outside the box to create her own company.
“When I birthed the idea of starting my own photography company, I made sure I had to realise it,” she says.
Nakitende says while the beginning was tough, she was determined to make it work at all costs.
“I didn’t have any money but I was socially rich with so many people whom I had got to know while working for the other photography company. These played a big role in the infancy stage of my company.”
“I would call someone to ask them to lend me their camera since I didn’t have one. There is one Isaac Ayijuka who became like a brother to me in this business. He would come to join me while shooting and would also advise me wherever I went wrong.”
She says that she kept on learning the trade until she perfected it.
Motivation
Nakitende traces her love for photography to her childhood.
She says as a child, she used to be around cameras and would always capture different moments. This increased her love for photography.
“I am a photography person that even when we used to go for trips with my friends, I was always the one behind the camera. I love capturing people’s moment and all things that people take for granted. Therefore, even when I had studied IT and got a job, I felt, photography was my calling,” she says.
First clients
Nakitende speaks about her first clients with a lot of pride as these, she says opened the doors when she joined the murky waters of photography.
“While still at my old photography company, I made a lot of friends and one of them was the head of Precision Human Resource Company. When she organized a function for the company which involved training staff from Uganda Revenue Authority, she invited me to be the official photographer at the company. This was my turning point and I never looked back,” she said, proudly.
She narrates that whereas she was not yet perfect, she took on the job and invited a close friend to help her with taking photos.
The 32-year-old born of Mityana says all her life, she learnt on job.
The first born of six says her mother and other family members including her son have been very supportive of her job, on occasions when she doesn’t have enough capital, they chip in by providing something.
Challenges
As a female photographer, Nakitende says she has encountered some challenges but as the adage goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. She as also learnt to stand up to the challenges.
“As a girl in a male dominated field, you have to behave just like the males. You are supposed to be somehow like them. Sometimes I find myself acting boyish. You have to lift things and be strong,” she says.
She adds that on several occasions, when clients realize it is a female photographer, they are a bit skeptical but later appreciate the results.
Nakitende says she had chosen a group of male photographers whom she says are always around her to guide and encourage her.
“There was one time I went shooting and pictures came out blue. I didn’t know how this came about and how to navigate around it. When I went to my editor, who is male he taught me what to do. I can proudly say the boys around me have helped me perfect my trade.”
As stressful as photography can be, Nakitende says she does not regret ditching her IT job to join photography.
Nakitende says she always looks up to another female photographer, Miriam Watsemba, a documentary photographer, adding that this has greatly helped her improve her skills.
“She makes photography look so easy but she is at the same time so helpful. I have learnt a lot from her. My advice to young photographers is to have a mentor but also good company around you. Be patient, practice and invest in everything you want.”
