3 minute read
Carrying significance beyond simply looking good
Photography Feature: Tichavanashe Mupet
Tichavanashe Mupeti (Tich for short) is a creator of captivating images. He is based in the capital, Windhoek. Growing up, access to his family’s small point-and-shoot camera and camcorder allowed him to cultivate his expressiveness, and he developed a love for composing images and videos.
Although absolutely passionate about photography, Tich never considered it as an actual profession. While studying IT at university he realised the potential of his hobby as a side hustle that could help to pay for basic living costs and partially for study fees. The only problem was that he needed a camera and had to ask family and friends to contribute funds for buying his first one. “What started as a means of feeding myself turned into an art and a profession I really enjoy and am very immersed in,” he says now, several years later.
While most of his work is commissioned, he still works on his own projects whenever time permits. “I enjoy projects that carry significance beyond simply looking good. This significance can be in preserving a moment, a memory, a culture, a view or even an emotion. I find it important that my images must not just be seen, but they must be felt as well,” he says.
As for gear, his workhorse is a Nikon D800 for the bulk of his work, most often paired with the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8, the Nikkor 105mm f2.8 or the Nikkor 50mm f1.8 lens as well as a Nikon D500, which almost always has the Sigma 17-55mm F2.8 attached.
Tich’s next project is inspired by the recent, tragic loss of his grandmother, someone very dear and close to him. This project will focus on portraits of the elderly. He has started researching and will work on it during the second half of the year. With his creative appetite not satisfied by photography alone, he is also looking at expanding his portfolio as a filmmaker, planning to write, direct and produce a short film during the latter part of the year.
Tich does some work in IT, while aiming to do full-time photography, video and design work. He hopes to realise this goal through his company, ColourPop.
