Orals East Africa>Part 1; On the road to Damascus, How Hallo became a photographer At the hut of the story

Written by Leonida Owaga

In 1996 Charles Hallo was sitting in a matatu cradling a camera, something he had dreamed of owning for over thirty years. Instead of elation, he did not know how to feel. Because while sitting on that bus he had just received a message that he had been let off from work. He could not believe it.

Twenty-eight years later he still does not believe that incredible incident that transformed his life and made him what he is today, a proud father who has managed to take all his children through school and college with his camera. The happy photographer says thanks to his, D51 Nikkon he even took himself through his degree in business management.

I met Mr Hallo at a recent event the Kenya Medical and Education Trust (KMET) training at Acacia Hotel in Kisumu. I saw the old gentlemanly photographer sitting behind a desk like he was part of the establishment.

After striking a warm conversation, he told me he is stationed here at the hotel where he mostly takes photos of guests attending meetings or events. Today there are two events so he will be quite busy.

At Seamless Frames, we are still new to the business so it was incredible meeting this relic photographer who took unsolicited photos in a hotel and the sold prints for Kes100 and not only managed to make ends meet, but thrive in the industry.

Business Sense

He explained that he prints his photos at Kes10 each and sells them for a hundred each which allows him to print out as many photos. So he rarely makes a loss because at the minimum he will sell are 10 photos that could still cover his costs.

But even then, he says he simply cannot make a loss, people are always willing to buy his photos. In fact, he does not bargain, unless it’s been a bad day he can go down to Kes50 per photo. He says cutting prices never ends well since the return clients will expect the same rates and will tell a friend to expect that as well.

I ask him for how long he had been a photographer. ‘Since 1996, lakini mimi kuanza hii kazi ilikuwa juu ya shida’ he says.

Mr Hallo first saw a cameraman in 1965, it was the first photographer he had ever met, a missionary at his church. He smiles as he says he did not imagine that he too would be a photographer one day. He must have dreamt it then.

Because years later working in employment he was still dreaming of owning a camera. The job did not pay much and he thought a camera offered an opportunity for a side hustle.

Side Hustle, Main Hustle

He had seen people with cameras and he knew if only he could buy one, he could make some extra money to help sustain him.

He saved up for months and one day finally he could buy his camera. So he requests a leave from work and travels to Nairobi to buy his camera, more than excited.

He only had enough money for his camera and transport. So he buys and he takes a bus immediately headed back home when he was notified that he had lost his job.

Now his side hustle had to become his main hustle that he somehow in the end managed to raise his family with.

He taught himself how to operate the camera. He says his first camera had a film, and it would happen that sometimes he would take a photo that he could see through the view finder, but his lens was covered, then he would go to wash them and discover he just had black images. Worst thing being the event has already passed and he would lose money.

But it took time and a lot of practice to get him here. He shows us a picture of his children that he took to school.

We are shocked at the number and ask him if all those are his. ‘Africans we don’t count our children’, he says in honesty as he laughs. He cannot tell us how many children he has, it would not be right. How does he go on counting his children, does he leave out his brothers, are they also not his?

Mkoloni

He shows us photos of his graduation and tells us that it was one of the rare occasions he let someone else handle his camera. He cannot risk it. Even his wife knows where his camera is placed in his house and no one is to touch it. He says he understands the value, and how one mistake would mean he cannot provide. So, he takes it seriously.

We talk about how photography has evolved. My colleague says he did not know that there were studios in the past, he imagined it is just a recent concept. Mr. Hallo tells us they used to print the backgrounds. He had one during his days, a KICC background and it made him quite some money. It was also the fashion, you had to have it.

He agreed that the trade has changed, back then the pay was really good. He even worked for a corporate as their photographer for a while. He feels lately however corporates are not willing to pay top dollar for photography, so he did his math and realized that freelancing at his own terms and setting the price for his own good made more sense, and made him more money. That is why he still does it to date.

My colleague feels if he were to move with the times, upgrade his equipment maybe he could make more money. But Mr. Hallo is unmoved. He thinks he is just a Gen Z who also believes that to do anything one must have passion.

“I have done the math, and I believe those who do it for passion should just do it, not me, I will not eat passion. I will still sell an exemplary photo at 100 and an ordinary one at 100,” he said.

He says that discipline overtakes everything. He had a colleague who got a camera very young, but the money got into his head and he has been unable to make ends meet even to date. Which is why he has not introduced or taught his children photography.

He asked me how I got this gig and I explained. I told him about Seamless Frames studio and ask him to visit sometime. We exchange contacts and I go in as the session is about to start.

Read Part 2; A tall Acacia that sees East Africa’s greatest lake for its magnificence

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