Through the lens of BarackOyama.

It is said that photography is the beauty of life captured, and that could not be truer especially to the day and age that we are in. We live in an era where we document any and everything. From sunsets, to the ones we love and even our breakfast bowls. Whether it may be to post on Instagram or even just to have our favourite memories with us forever, photography has proven to be a very important aspect of our everyday lives as it connects us all.

One particular person with a passion for capturing the moment is the up and coming Oyama Mgengo, also known as BarackOyama. This Kempton Park based photographer first fell in love with photography back in 2014 when he received his first DSLR camera as a young teenage boy. He has remained behind the lens capturing every moment from baseball games, from his time spent in the US, to protests and even editorial type images for clients. Although his personal favourite styles are wedding and photojournalism, he has branched out beyond this.

I asked Oyama a few questions to get more insight and further understanding into the world through his lens.

K: “Where do you draw your inspiration from?”

O: "Instagram and pinterest, most of the time. But as you do this, you develop your own eye and your own style. You never know who is drawing inspiration from you.”

K: “As a photographer who do you look up to? O: “There’s so many good photographers out there. But just to name a few South Africans: Mini Photography, Welcometorome, Christine Mentjies, Austin Malema and Anza R.

K: “How have you managed to remain inspired and driven during this pandemic? O: “The Pandemic actually gave me time to change my style a little bit and its been working for me so far. By June I was fed up with sitting around with all the ideas and concepts. I’ve been putting out content consistently ever since.

K: “What is your dream set? Or rather who would you love to work with? O: “I’m very open minded to collaboration, so anyone or any brand that aligns with my brand and values."

Oyama also shared on how he wishes people knew how extremely expensive photography is to maintain as a career, and how important it is that people pay for quality. Perhaps all our camera phones and tablets have led us to believe that all it takes is a click of a button to be regarded as a photographer when in reality there is so much more to it.

When asked about what he wishes he knew when he started out in the industry Oyama’s response was: “Nothing, really. I started quite young so as I grew, so did my knowledge. It all felt so natural and it still does."

As for his short-term goals, Oyama said that he would like to invest in some more equipment as well as shoot more weddings. As for the future, he hopes to one day see himself with his own studio company that specializes in wedding photography.

I for one hope that he is there to capture me on my special day. Fingers crossed!