For a young man that uses his photography skills to celebrate the female body through the lens of his Sony A7 Mark II camera, it is extra ingenuity for Bash Fahad Mutumba – a Photographer and Writer – to maintain a tight grip on his academic endeavors at Makerere University, an institution he holds massive approbation for.
With his definitive look – a Kangaroo cap or hat, spectacles, a t-shirt, blazer, slim-fit jeans and casual shoes – Bash Mutumba’s love for simplicity is quite obvious. That, however, should never fool you into thinking that his creativity isn’t complex.
A few minutes into the first interaction with the not surprisingly talkative photographer will get you understanding that, for him, the words; aperture, shutter speed, exposure, focus and ISO come first in his vocabulary.
The one immediately exciting thing you’ll learn from him is the hunger to teach and share knowledge of the skills he has mastered overtime to anyone inquisitive of how he uses his apparatus.
In the field, he sways around like the last soldier on the battlefield, ready to shoot at anything that tickles his eye. Yet tender with the finger on the shutter button, Mutumba is incisive, full of command and he never stops admiring his own works.
He will not ask the subject to remain in one position for too long. You rarely hear the words “do that again” during his shoots and yet when he shows you the final product, you’re amazed by how he captures the moments right in time.
I could go on and on in description of how he operates but his work is available for all to see and when you look at it, you easily realize that he upholds art and creativity as the nucleus of his brand.
Whatever he shoots, goes viral. One would raise the argument that the virality is attached to the highly nude nature of his content. Well, maybe, but he is just one of the several other photographers with the same content.
Bash Mutumba has achieved quite a lot for a career which he started at the age of 22 in 2018. There are names he insists to mention as his mentors including the legendary Oscar Ntege.
He has set out onto his own path of self discovery and more boudoir shots. Part of the process he has trusted from the start is education which, despite a few shortcomings, he has remained loyal to his ambitions and will be graduating soon.
“Photography is definitely a positive distraction. It comes a little natural for me to think of photography even while doing random things; and I love it. It automatically directs my mind to a non-toxic place.” – Bash Mutumba
Mutumba, whose graduation from Makerere University Kampala (MUK) has been delayed by the lockdown which was imposed by government in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, emphasizes what a privilege it is to study at MUK.
According to the King of Boudoir; the largest, oldest and most popular university in the country continues to dominate locally and across the continent and it’s a privilege holding a degree from the campus.
It is a big deal going to Makerere because according to rankings it’s still the best in Africa and the best university in our country.
Bash Mutumba
The photographer does not rule out the weaknesses that have been registered at the university. He, however, believes that most of the problems at MUK are due to Uganda being a third world country.
Sooner or later, Mutumba will be a holder of a Bachelors degree in Commerce and he hopes that the situation in the country normalizes so that students can go back to school and he can also achieve his degree.
“I hope to finish up my degree. Things are hard and I have been working very hard in a very crucial time. It’s the reason I had to quit Galaxy FM and refocus on school and I really hope I can finish up,” Bash Mutumba explained during an interview with Ugandan Allstar.
With a degree in Commerce, you expect Bash Mutumba to propel his brand into a reputable business which can go ahead to create employment, inspiration and a base of infinite creativity for many aspiring photographers.
I see myself being an artiste for the rest of my life but of course I can’t say that my degree will not help me because there’s a lot that I’ve learnt. My company needs my brain; the accountancy and auditing perspective.
Bash Mutumba
The sky cannot be the limit for people like Mutumba and we share the positivity that his boldness and desire to stand out have birthed an entire movement for more art to sprout in the +256.
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