Alvin Wangai: The Visual Creative

From the outside, this particular photographer maintains a quiet demeanor. A self-confessed shy introvert, he prefers to observe his surroundings, plugging in and detaching at will. This enables him to examine the human condition, and from this experience, Alvin Wangai brings a unique message of hope to the fore.

Alvin grew up in the digital era, a smartphone always within reach. Using the camera on his mother’s phone, he’d capture a nature scene here, a smiling face there, without giving much thought to the art of it. Things started getting serious when he was 11 and his dad brought home a Nikon DSLR camera to capture special moments during family functions. Despite its simplicity, the camera fascinated him and, though he wasn’t allowed to, he would sneak the camera out of the house, snapping pictures of the scenery and people around him, learning how to work the DSLR, and returning it home before his father would notice it was gone.

Photography consumed his every waking thought. He would spend hours on social media, looking up photographers whose work he admired. Jumping from one platform to another, he studied their style and learned from it. The 14-year old would take pictures using his phone and run them through the various trending editing apps. Posting them to his social media with narrative captions, Alvin shared meaningful thoughts with his friends.

Still, balancing his photography learning, school, and sneaking the camera out regularly, Alvin noticed that the photography he studied lacked the unbounded imagination he sought. He began creating his ideal kind of art. Downloading professional editing software and heading to YouTube, the internet’s university, he practiced the techniques necessary for the fantasy-inspired photography he desired. This became his signature style.

It was then that he gained the confidence to show his parents the art he’d invested so much time into. They were impressed that such talent existed in their household. Finally having their knowledge of his photography, Alvin flourished in his artistic expression throughout his O Levels.

Due to the obstacles he faced as a young, budding photographer, he became frustrated and discouraged. Quitting photography for a time, he slipped into a dark place emotionally.

A talk with a former teacher encouraged him to pick up the camera again. Returning to the craft gave Alvin a place to share his pain. Thus, the themes of his photography center on the grittier, more painful side of life. Having experienced depressive seasons, he reaches out to hurting people through photography. By empathizing with their experience of melancholy, unrequited love and heartache, Alvin moves his audience, who connect deeply with his message.

Now, at 17 years of age, he’s pursuing his A Levels. He found his niche in shooting portraits that he alters with a style of editing called digital manipulation. He merges the surreal and the realistic to paint a picture about life. With these elements, he gives a voice to the challenges we usually experience in silence.

We genuinely cannot wait to see the topics Alvin further explores and the ways he will use his distinct photography to inspire optimism in us all.