after
5
magazine
the
PORTRAIT ISSUE
issue 4
ISSUE 04
MAY 2012
founder & Editor - in - chief christina engell andersen editor bukonola ngobi EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR fawzia jamal PHOTOGRAPHERS barbara minishi, chloe mitchell. daniel chasala, ed&fray photography, isabella gomes, kevin ouma, melissa de blok, riz mehar, tatiana alexandra wanjiru karanja cover photographer: melissa de blok WEBSITE www.after5.co.ke
this online magazine features the work of submissions received by the after5 magazine team. after5’s contributors retain sole copyright to their featured work. If you would like to see your work featured in this publication, find out more on our website.
DANIEL CHASALA graphic designer Self Portrait
THE PORTRAIT ISSUE Pronunciation: [pawr-trit, -treyt, pohr-] noun 1. a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders: a portrait of George III [as modifier]: a portrait painter a representation or impression of someone or something in language or on film or television: the writer builds up a fascinating portrait of a community 2. [as modifier] denoting a format of printed matter which is higher than it is wide: you can print landscape and portrait pages in the same document
BARBARA MINISHI photographer Amrit
RIZ MEHAR photographer Green
THANDIWE MURIU photographer Unititled
CHLOE MITCHELL photographer / student Beautiful Smile
IMAG
PHOTOG
MELISSA DE BLOK
GINED
GRAPHY
MELISSA DE BLOk
INTERVIEW
Melissa de Blok Q&A
please tell us about melissa de blok? hmm. a lot to say, i’m a woman of many, many, many words. sometimes too many. i’m a thinker, and a dreamer. i see a deeper meaning in everything I come across in the universe. everything i do is directly related to creating (my main passion, apart from photography, is singing/songwriting under the stage name of Zubi d’Nova) - writing, cooking, silly inventions...i do it all. my main goal is to inspire and open minds. oh, and I’m Kenyan. in everything i do, i’m Kenyan to the core and will always represent my home. Kenya made me who I am, and I want to give back.
with very deep messages, and i can’t wait to start these projects. i have some controversial opinions, and i plan to express these in my work.
what does the act of photography mean to you? i believe in capturing and then changing reality, in such a way that you end up seeing how beautiful reality REALLY is.
your work can be considered quite editorial, is this on purpose? do you ever try to convey a certain message when you shoot your subjects? honestly speaking, it’s my intuition that drives my shooting, my lighting, and my editing. i write songs in exactly the same way. i don’t know how i know, but i somehow know what “fits”, and i don’t question this gut feeling - it’s worked for me so far. so no, there is no deliberate decision to make it look a certain way. i sometimes feel this is my flaw; i do not have a specific style as i just do what feels right for each particular situation. as for a message, nothing more than that each person has beautiful parts that, when accentuated, become more obvious to the world. i like to think of myself as a person with vision in a world full of blind people, and that it is my job to open people’s eyes to the fact that everyone is naturally beautiful. this is why i hate photo-shopping skin to the point of not seeing pores. i cannot stand the 5-minute treatment some photographers give skin. sure, you look like a barbie doll, but it’s no longer YOU. when I photoshop, there have to be
a lot of your work is quite commercial, is this a career path for you or just a passion ? i don’t think i select my subject matter - i go into most projects with only the barest sketches in mind. the actual work comes out very different. what would be your high point as a photographer? do you have any goals in mind that you would like to reach as an artist? my high point as a photographer would be to know that my work has inspired other photographers, or people in general. i’d like to be published for my fashion, too, as well as work with some fashion designers whose work i adore. as for goals, i really want my skills to reach my imagination. i started photography after my ideas as a model weren’t portrayed the way i’d imagined them. i have so many conceptual ideas
what influences your work and what drives you to keep pushing for that perfect shot? growth. I want to grow and see how far i can go. i want to see what the limits are, learn them and know them, then jump over them. i’m far from being an expert and still consider myself an amateur - i suppose this is my driving force. also, just knowing the fact that i’m creating is enough for me to keep going with it.
pores or i’ll be unhappy, haha! there is a lot of power in a portrait, how do you perceive the work of portraiture ? portraiture is my favourite genre precisely for this reason. the eyes are truly the windows to the soul, and i love capturing the vulnerability and essence of a person in their truest form. apparently people feel comfortable with me to let down their guard, and this is something i’m very grateful for. i feel that, without many people realising it, a portrait session is a spiritually revealing and psychologically healing experience when done correctly. what do you feel bridges the gap between photography as a hobby and photography as a profession ? in general terms, money. if someone is willing to pay you, then that makes this your job. however, i also feel that actively taking steps to grow constantly in your craft, is what makes the difference between a hobbyist and a true professional. the moment one feels one is “the best” they can be, the only road is downhill. humility is something I see in top professionals in every field. one final question - what do you do “after 5” (after 5pm?) watch more tv than I should. from Fringe to Chowder, Pushing Daisies to FireFly, Adventure Time to House... as an artist, i cannot help but appreciate other art forms, and my interest in singing, writing and acting, means that i have a lot of material to look at for inspiration. yes, even Chowder... again, i see a deeper meaning in everything;
the manner in which adult jokes have been subtly woven into some of these cartoons entertains me to no end.
MELISSA DE BLOk
BARBARA MINISHI photographer John
Tatiana Alexandra Wanjiru Karanja student / photographer Angel on Horseback
NEHA GHAI illustartor/ artist Sunny In October
BARBARA MINISHI photographer Untitled
isabella gomes photographer Untitled
Ed&Fray Photography photographers Nakaaya
CHLOE MITCHELL photographer / student We All Hide Behind a Mask
after5 / russian standard photoshoot
kevin ouma this photoshoot was taken by documentary photographer, kevin ouma. based in nairobi, kevin also does projects in other east african countries. kevin has worked in the film industry as a camera assistant and operator and this has gone a longway to build his storytelling style in photography.
CONTRIBUTORS BARBARA MINISHI photographer http://www.barbaraminishiphotography.com chloe mitchell photographer / student http://www.facebook.com/ChloeMitchellPhotography DANIEL CHASALA graphic designer dchasala@gmail.com ED&FRAY PHOTOGRAPHY photographers http://www.facebook.com/Ed.Fray isabella gomes photographer cgomesisabella@gmail.com kevin ouma photographer http://www.kevjapicha.wordpress.com mELISSA DE BLOK singer / photographer http://www.imagined-photography.com riz mehar photographer http://www.meharimages.co.ke tatiana alexandra wanjiru karanja photographer / student http://www.tatianakaranjaphotography.com
ED FRAY photographer
ABOUT after5 is an online magazine for photographers, illustrators and graphic designers who reside in kenya. this publication focuses on giving space to creative people to share their point of view and promote their work. it features different artists with a diverse range of interests and perspectives within the visual arts. after5 hopes to create a space that inspires people to contribute their work and engage with others’ work. we live in a world plagued with troubles and challenges, pa world where many are lost in the monotony of their nine-to-fives, this place in cyberspace is about escapism and reclamation. It’s about what you do when the day is over. it’s about the time you give to the passions you bury under a pile of chores and the dreams you are getting around to but never cross off your to-do-list. so the question is this; what is your after5 and do you want to share it with the rest of the world? the time is now and the space is here!
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