Technology affects photographers

Some photographers in the country have complained that the increase in digital and phone cameras is compromising the quality of pictures because people with no requisite training in photography are taking away their jobs.

The photographers, Bonny Sauti of Sauti Photographics and Peter Kansengwa based in Lilongwe, said in separate interviews that technology, though a good development, has badly affected their business.

Said Sauti: “When we were using camera with films, a customer could come to us over three times to have the same picture reproduced. Today, with the coming in of technology, that has stopped.

“If you produce a picture once that is it because other studios can enlarge the still photo. Also, the coming in of digital and phone cameras has affected our job because every Jim and Jack can take pictures which means that more photographers have been taken out business.”

Sauti, who was one of the official photographers of Malawi’s first president late Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda, said there is need to bring sanity in the photography industry because at the rate technology is changing, one day all photographers will be taken out of business.

Kansengwa said photography is a career that needs experts to produce quality pictures but people think that knowing how to click a camera, automatically qualifies one to become a photographer.

“The mere fact that you have a camera does not mean that you are a qualified photographer. There is a standard quality of pictures internationally accepted and normally, these pictures are taken by individuals who know the camera better,” he said.

Kansengwa said technology should not put them out of business, stressing that they will strive to protect their market share.

Minister of Industry and Trade Sosten Gwengwe has since advised the photographers to move with the times and start learning to take pictures with TV cameras because the film industry is now growing.

“My advice is that these photographers should adapt the usage of video cameras and try to go into the movie industry because that is where the market is. If the film industry continues to grow, then nobody will complain that technology is taking away their business,” he said.

Gwengwe said government with the assistance from Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (Teveta) wants to train more people in video photography.

Teveta communications manager Lewis Msasa concurred with Gwengwe, saying that small-scale photographers must move with technology not to be taken out of business.

“As Teveta, we will as much as possible train people so that they grasp technology. If small-scale photographers want us to assist we will surely do so,” he assured.