Q&A pixelpilot_media

“photography was something that i had never thought i would do in all honesty . It’s just a thing that i saw people doing but never saw myself being the one behind the camera ....”

Interview With Desir Trends

QTell me a brief summary about yourself?

(This includes personal details like educational background, family and any other information you wish to disclose.

AI was born on 7th of July 1998 . My name is Timothy Mungandiwe Jr ,named after my father . I have three brothers and one sister. So my life journey began in a suburb called Snake Park where i was born before we moved to the low density suburbs of Christon Bank in the city of Harare. That is where i did my primary education up to grade 7.

After my parents’ divorce , i and my younger brother moved to Highfields with our mother .I did my form 1 at Kuwadzana High 2 and later transfered to Kwayedza High School before i began my form 2 due to transport and other money related issues. We struggled to get by to an extent that i almost failed to write my O’level exams. Mom was struggling to make ends meet on her own. All these hardships affected my attention at school hence i couldn’t concentrate on my studies. With God’s grace and determination i wrote my O level exams and passed . After Ordinary Level, i proceeded to do a diploma in Auto Electrics .

QTell me in brief, how you fell in love with photography .

A So photography was something that i had never thought i would do in all honesty . It’s just a thing that i saw people doing but never saw myself being the one behind the camera .Growing up i had never envisioned photography as a cool profession. They were some guys who rode on bicycles going around the streets shouting, “Tinotora ma photo anotobuda ipapo ipapo”. To me , this was not a profession i saw myself doing ,you know when we are still young we tend to gravitate towards professions like Civil Engineering etc because they are often termed cool. However ,as i was doing my Auto electrics diploma, i met a guy who was into graphic designing, photography and that’s when i realized i had chosen a wrong career . This guy was designing posters, logos ,taking wedding pictures and working with models and that was cool. From that inspiration i tried graphic designing and for me it was not so complex and that led me into discovering that i was talented in that field. From that very moment i started doing free designs in a bid to promote my name . Since i was working as an Auto Electrician ,designing became a part time craft for me .Its funny how the journey began.

I still remember i had no laptop so i designed using a smart phone with a shattered screen which had a lot of problems. After a short period of time i started getting a lot of work as a designer and i made a hard decision to quit my job as an Auto Electrician. I calculated the risk and saw that it was worth taking since i wasn’t getting money from the job anyways.

I’m sure you can relate, it is what it is in Zimbabwe especially after graduating.

After saving some money ,i purchased my first camera ,a Nikon D5000 and embarked on Photography. It was fun and fulfilling hence I started doing it full time till now and i don’t plan on stopping at any given time.

QHave you ever told a client, “no”?

AYes , infact almost all the time.

What i have learnt is that in Photography you have to put value on yourself. I don’t book clients who do not know what they want . Usually clients who fall under this criteria complains a lot and try to get good services with a very tight budget. I also do not book clients who do not appreciate my work. If they don’t see the value in what i am offering ,I don’t see a reason why we should work together. They are those clients who have that habit of comparing my works with those whom they’ve associated with before. Do not get me wrong, there is positive criticism that comes along with comparison and then negative criticism whereby a client will tell you to operate in a way they’ve seen from someone. I usually prefer working with clients who give me the opportunity to work out my magic before they intervene. I almost forgot, they’re rude clients who believe that if they are paying you, they own you , that’s a big NO for me. y name is Kuda Rice, and I am a Zimbabwean-based writer and storyteller. My storytelling is mainly portrayed through poetry and spoken word, which I fuse with different art forms such as music, fashion, and visual art to bring out not only creative ideas but ideas that convey a message to people.

QOn a scale of 1-10 ,howwould you rate your skills in Photoshop or Lightroom?

AWell in Photoshop i would say, 7 out of 10 but light room i have never used it before but i am a very fast learner. If i were to learn lightroom it would take me a maximum of 48 hours which is equivalent to two days.

QWhat inspires you as a photographer?

A) Inspiration for me comes in different forms and ways. Sometimes i get inspired by my life,where i came from and and where i want to be in the next 10 years. I also get inspired by other photographers, their work and progress. All in all i can say patience is a virtue that all photographers should embrace.

QTell me something you struggle with as a photographer and how you work to overcome it?

AIn photography the most difficult challenge i face is acquiring some funds. Photography gear is very expensive and there is no way around that so i try to work with what i have and save money to purchase the necessary equipment needed for more projects.

QHow do you approach client revisions to your work?

A) Personally i have not yet experienced that when it comes to Photography but in Graphic designing, yes . I always make sure that i know what the client wants before i work with them and i also make it clear to them before we work. This helped to minimize the number of people who come back to me for revisions.

QIn conclusion, can you tell me what you enjoy doing besides photography be it a side hustle or hobby that helps you unwind and relax.

AI love fishing. Its something that i used to do with my father when i was young, we would go camping over the weekends. Fishing teaches me patience and roasted fish is delicious too.

At my core is the need to tell my inner truths and experiences, as well as external truths and other people’s expe-

Mriences of the different spheres of life.

Through my art, I hope to inspire and uplift those who read or hear my words. As a writer and poet, I truly believe that words make the world turn.

For me, there is a correlation between p etry and pottery. In both instances, you are using preexisting materials to shape and mold something. As a writer and poet, I recognize that I’m not inventing new words; I am simply arranging them in a way that reveals my perspective on different matters. And with that, my target is for people to relate—for people to feel something, hear something, and see something within me that’s a reminder of something within them that they don’t have words for.

I write for impact, and the way that I define impact is being able to plant seeds of thought that will transform individual actions, which will bring forth societal transformation. That, for me, is the role of poetry: to causetransformation.