In 1984 Mwangi ‘Mwarv’ Kirubi experienced the immortalization of a moment in time on light sensitive paper. It was his younger sister’s first birthday and the neighbourhood photographer had been hired to capture the memorable occasion. Mwarv was fascinated with the process but having no camera at his disposal, he turned to art as his medium of capturing an event on paper.
Years later, his mother was gifted a Pentax PC-50 point and shoot camera that Mwarv began fidgeting with. He was sixteen years old at the time, taking on different extracurricular activities at Kagumo High School, one of them being theatre and another being a cartoonist for the school’s Press Club. Yet again, his ability to capture images for posterity brought him joy.
In 1996, Mwarv enrolled into the Buru Buru Institute of Fine Arts to learn graphic design. His time at this institution sharpened his drawing skills and his ability to notice beauty in his surroundings. His profound appreciation for the mundane made him respect the art of photography even more, but with nobody to look up to in this field he silenced his dream as he trudged into the job market.
Five years after graduating from college, Mwarv was working at Kiss FM as a copywriter. This was the hand fate had dealt him and it was certainly far removed from his own ambitions. In his free time, his thoughts circled back to photography and when he came across a website called photo.net, he spent hours living vicariously through the images posted on the site. The names of the photographers on photo.net were usually foreign to him, until one lazy afternoon when he chanced upon a Kenyan name – Mark Anthony Kathurima. Seeing a familiar name was a first for him and it felt as though he had struck gold. Kathurima’s photography made Mwarv realize that he could awaken his long-slumbered passion.
The purchase of a semi-pro single lens reflex camera came not too long afterwards, and with it Mwarv began taking on minor photography assignments. Photography became a form of detox from his eight to five, and he looked forward to days when he could feel the weight of his camera in the palm of his hands. The more he used this device, the crisper his images became and the bolder he grew in his ability to take photography on as a career. In 2006, he rolled the dice and chose to gamble on his dreams as he served a three-month notice at his workplace.
With every coin he had saved up, Mwarv bought his first DSLR camera. Professional photography was a steep learning curve for him, and since he was not interested in venturing into the newsroom, he had to teach himself how to engage clients and deliver the quality of images they wanted. In 2009, with an impressive portfolio to back his decision, he registered Click Pictureworks Africa, an organization mandated with using the lens to change perceptions about Africa. Capturing authentic human interactions and emotions was a gratifying experience, and his gradual transition from general photography into documentary photography came slowly and naturally through the years.
Even when photography became his full-time job, it never ceased to be his hobby. Whenever his work mandates travel, Mwarv finds opportunities to document wildlife, landscapes, and culture of the places he visits. Other times, he goes out of his way to plan non-work-related trips just so that he can tell a visual story of the place. He then shares these images on his online platforms. In 2016 one of these pictures really stood out, winning Mwarv the best photo in the wildlife category during the Canon Photography Awards.
Through his pictures, Mwarv takes us on a journey to discover new faces and places, leaving us with the impression that we too have travelled to locations where his footprints are etched. His commitment to uncover the hidden gems of the nation and the continent is formidable, and for this we applaud his Paukwa spirit!
