Hey welcome back to Phantom and Friends and my friend today, am Caroline and am a Phantom friend and my friend today is a gentleman who has avoided me for about 10 years. No you have... that's a very bold accusation first of all. You know, let me put it this way, this is Mutua Matheka. Mutua Matheka is photographer extraordinary, there are people who own cameras and then there are photographers. l like that. And l have heard it say before the camera lens sees the picture, your eyes sees it first. Yes. And you got like 10 eyes. Yeah. You do? That's more like a fly. You're brilliant. Thank you.

Where have you been? I've been around you know there's been a lot happening. I stalk you on social media, l know, yeah you know life kinda moves, things that were important sometimes reduce their importance, then other things pick up their importance. True, life is seasons. Life is seasons. And you've had quite a number of seasons. Yeah. So l know why, its almost 10 years ago, l was introduced to you by a lady called Cyton. Yes. And she wasn't even married then, yeah, wasn't even anywhere near, yes, so easily 10 years ago. You know for sure but yeah about 10, so that would make it like 2012, 13, easily, easily, yeah. And l remember why you were, wow, is that demographic “akina” Cyton were like, you know there are some amazing people taking amazing shots of Nairobi, and l remember when l saw ohhh, but you've come a long way. So tell me, that camera used to be a what?

Can l remember what it was back then....that was your first love. Yeah, that was my first camera and believe me that camera we went through a lot, l don't know where it is anymore but it was a Nikon D40 its not even in..it hasn't been in production for more that 8 years. That's a lie, you know l met you 10 years ago. I like it hasn't yeah they stopped, you can't find it anymore and you know life has changed. A lot, technology has changed, l have changed, you have changed, the city has changed since, actually l before he sat down, l started telling him, the pictures we can buy off your site, are outdated, totally. Let me tell you how outdated they are, however, however what? We can, some could say, what? That some are classic, and yes, there will always be those and l am very happy l bought because l am able to say oh my goodness. When l was told l was going to be talking to you, l said l know that guy, l haven't seen him in 10 years but l know him. Yeah. But then to look at your work and then say oh dear Mutua, your skyline of Nairobi doesn't have one African place, your skyline of Nairobi does not have GTC, your skyline of Nairobi does not have the express way, do not have the express way, your skyline l think does not have the Britam tower. No, it doesn't even have that building one for the parliaments, yes, it doesn't have that. Yeah. I think the only thing that you probably have that is oh my god, that's so cool is Rahamtulla, l mean that was also part of the changes, like when l was very serious about shooting the city, yes, and doing it often and then do it at least once a month and just documenting the changes, and that's one of the, l still believe in being able to look at  the skylines of Nairobi and be like now we know some of the changes because you can look at the picture, me l want my 2023 editions, l know. I need to get back and do that because l think, that's what l found so interesting about shooting so open, is that you can look and this and be like oh my gosh this is 2010 and this is the same place 2023 and look at how much the skyline has changed.  And that has always been my goal, just show the evolution of African city.

So since you are not shooting Nairobi, what are you doing? I am travelling, am taking care of babies, l am getting into projects that are more.. l have two, how many do you have? Two. Okay. And yeah you know l am doing... l have found myself  been drawn more into, l have no other thing to call it but emotional photography, oh really? that photography that comes more from feed by my emotions than not and not to say that am not doing the buildings anymore, l just found something else l think over the pandemic. Something that is more inward and expressive of, something that's inside, so yeah drawing from emotions other that drawing from what already exits. But Nairobi is still bae, absolutely, and because Nairobi is still bae, it has to be, always go back to that, because that is a mission that never changes. Its just, the evolution just adds something else and now what am curious about is now going back in treating the city while even drawing from somewhere else, like before it was just a thing of looking at it and just shooting the buildings as they are but now it would be interesting to kinda go back now when you are older and you are seeing things now differently, exactly. Clarity, like its not just a building anymore, now you are starting to see a bit more, a bit more than what it is, you are starting to see the personality more, yes. That means in 10 years l have moved, you have moved, yeah, we now look after babies, we travel more, l also do workout, yeah, the city has moved and so has tech.

Tell me, even before we talk about my friend here, tell me what has changed in how you do photography since those the nicall what, we'll not talk about it. The main thing that l find interesting is how technology kinda democratizes art, it makes, it puts us all kinda in a level field and when everyone feels like they are similar then who stands out? The best. What stands out? Yes. Its becomes that the tool that has to have the importance doesn't become the physical tool but becomes the brain. How you use the tool. Exactly. Again the unique thing about what we create becomes your experiences as a human, how you see the world, what you've been through, and how to use that as a lens to which you see the world. In that case the technology now becomes not a, you are not a slave to the technology but the technology becomes a slave to you and a way to move things that are inside you to be seen and l think that's where we are now. It has become more than the person with the best camera has the best pictures. Yes. Its now more you don't have to have the best camera  because they are all nice, they are all amazing, like it doesn't matter the difference between 100,000 Ksh camera  and a 500,000Ksh camera is so little, is just nuances, is just preferences. So the question is just how you use it, it becomes how you use it. I love how you said democratized art, because it took me back to December 2022, we land in Dubai and we land at night and my 4 year old was going to turn 5, my 4 year old says l need to take pictures for Babu, yeah, and he can, yeah, and he took some good ones. You know, he is 4, yeah, and you see this is the amazing thing  that a child who is 4, can start from a place where they are not too discouraged, yeah, because they will improve, we don't need to worry about that, eventually, like something that makes it simpler for them to take pictures will make them get used to now getting the novelty out of the way and now start using their brain more.

So, it's no longer the excitement of l pressed this and a picture came out, now it starts becoming, but what if l fit the buildings better. What if l move back, what if l use the wide angle, because l want to show Babu everything, oh gosh, what if l now use the portrait mode because l want to capture just you, you have gone to the zone, haven't you? Yeah. You got into the zone. Yes.

What was your first impression when you first saw this? Other than the color, l mean l think until launch l was the only person with the Mars orange.Yeah. First of all the color is gorgeous number two the lens the huge ones, absolutely, your heart went dudududu, beautiful just the way they look, looks really good, looks sleek, yeah, it has the thing, at least it stands out and then now you become curious to pick it up, for me the most interesting thing, l mean now am going inside, should l wait ,yeah absolutely, you were in the zone, go. For me feature wise the most interesting thing  was the 50MP Camera, l know,  because then, not because the pixels are better because  it just gives me so much more data to work with when am shooting. l see.  remember the first time, so it's just a big picture, you know when we were doing the photo-shoot, you remember this one, yes,and l remember at some point l said let me try this camera and sadly it was on selfie mode l was like l can see my poles, l was horrified, l was like l have never seen anything like that, because you know it was one of those reason like, wow, what is happening right now. Yeah. Every time l give it to somebody or we are at a function and l am taking pictures and am like, l think you guys should see mine, then everybody does this and looks at their phone and says let's use yours. Let's, let's use yours. And l love it. And you are just like, yeah yeah let's use mine. The pictures would be better, l will forward you pictures after, and okay, you know l love the way you were talking about things changed, seasons change, and yes it's been 10 years but the Phantom X2 and probably what we were using 10 years ago, have you seen some of the pictures we took 10 years ago on a phone? What was that?

Like let me tell you, l can't even look at those and not laugh like it's, l know, actually it's comedy.  We even look distorted, like everything just looked blurry, off the bat, thank you, and yet we thought it was cool. Of course, it's all we knew, because we didn't know better, it's all we knew,yes, and now see all that has changed. Because now we just have access to better, l know, and for me l remember the first time l was giving feedback on the phone, and l said, does that that lens, does it actually retract? l mean am sure as a person who owns cameras, you must have said go away. No they did show at the shoot l was shooting Eliud, and they were like you know the lens actually pops out, and l was like what do you mean pops out. Oh really, you didn't know. No, l didn't know, sorry you dropped that role casually. You shot Eliud? Yes. You never shot me? I mean, but then again l have never run a marathon under 2 hours, this is also true. Okay. That was like this was a great moment in my life, no way, probably 3 days before and l had to do all my fan girling, l was like l can't embarrass myself to shot, then you can't, you can't, l have to be professional. So let me do all this before the 3 days in my house am like l can't believe l am going to meet him. Wow. And then, by the time the shot was coming l was like, you were calm. That means when they told you that the lens goes...and you were like, yeah l was like, yeah right. Very interesting but l need to see that. Yeah, because l literally saw the phone for the first time, that day at the shoot. You met the Phantom X2 and Eliud on the same day, on the same day. “Ulilala aje?”

Wow, yeah, the only thing l didn't do was to have him sign my Kenya marathon jacket, you have one? Yeah, l wore it for the shot l was like am going to met Eliud of course am wearing my Kenya team marathon jacket. And then, l mean l didn't make a big deal out of it, you have to play it cool. Can't be like, do you see what am wearing? But of course l bought it because of him, of course, so finally when the “kalens” popped up, what did you think? It popped, and then you know it was at the shoot, and l was like okay wait, first of all that’s very cool, l need to know what it does but l don't have time now to do that, were in the middle of the shot, this is professional, if l get into that l might, you might loss yourself, yes, because that's what l do l just disappear quickly into a rabbit hole and so focus on the shoot came to try it on later now when l had my own, in my house and now the thing that am looking forward to because l will now set up proper shoots with this phone, get out and do, and do stuff, l have many ideas, yeah, l have many ideas and for it's always a thing of saying,  because l have always told people, while not me there is this quote a photography quote that the best camera is the one that you have with you.

Is it? In many ways, yeah, because it doesn't matter what the best camera is if you don't have it at that time, this is also true, like if something is happening there , the best camera is what you have. If you are news...l think this was from the news reporting days, of course, if you are shooting an event or something or the news infornt of you, it doesn't matter if your camera is at home, it might be a 10,000 thousand dollar camera it does not matter, the image that will make the news is the one that is shot at that time. It doesn't matter if it's shot on a phone, or on whatever and so one of the things that l find so many people who are starting out in photography or interested are always trying to be like oh my gosh l need to get that camera that Mutua uses, l want to get that camera that l have seen and am always like but what phone do you have and they say l have this am like that's whats you need to start with. Yes. The only thing that is limiting you is your ideas is your head. If you have good ideas, l think you can do anything and so that's what l want to do, that's what l want to show. That's what you want to show, yeah. The best camera is the one you got.

On scale of "It's a bust" "worth a look" or "it's a no brainier", where do you rank the Phantom X2? On a scale of what to what? Is it a bust, worth the look, a no brainier? Its definitely above worth the look and approaching no brainier, l think its a fantastic camera, l think there is a lot that can be done with it and especially if you know what to do, with everything is like you understand where it gets to and to understand the limitations  and you are good to go. Because you know where to push it up to, and you know what you need to do to push it even further. Now because it might take another 10 years, l want my new skyline of Nairobi, so by the way am going to look into this camera and say he told  me, am talking to the governor of Nairobi, that shooting in Nairobi is still a hassle  because you might say it's okay  but apparently “wa ground vitu ni different.” We just need a letter, Mutua has to do the skyline of Nairobi again because if you go to his website, Nairobi looks a little ancient, this is true, l mean yeah,no l need to give you a deadline. I know the argument is that it looks classic Nairobi, it's beautiful but came on, are you telling me that sometimes you look at this city and you are like l got to shot this town. No l say that almost every week but then am like, “alafu nitasumbuliwa,” am l ready for all the drama, now l am like,now l am much an older person, like l could do this run rounds like in  my twenties, now surely, surely no, if am sitting in a jail cell 4 hours that time that is so useful to me, all because you wanted to capture a picture, just because l wanted to...yeah and the pictures are not just benefiting me, that's what l don't understand. I know, am like there are so many people who see my pictures and are like we are coming to Nairobi, l know and am like... see, governor, see, which is we need a new law, like it benefits everybody, it does. I have gifted Nairobi to so many people  around the continent because the come to Nairobi and they love it and am like here is something for you and l know a very prominent lawyer in Kampala whose got Nairobi hanging in his office and not Kampala but Nairobi, as they should, as they should. So l am giving you until July 2023, oh my, if we don't have new pictures, that's a good deadline, pictures from Mutua Matheka of this amazing city preferably shot by this amazing item, this will be involved in some of the pictures that am taking, just tag me and tell me “ako kajamaa”,as simple as that. Governor we need a letter so that when he out there, l ,mean we know its free but “kwa ground” things are different, yes and actually there is this amazing IG page he has put out, the more content we have of Nairobi the better. This is, listen your preaching to the choir, okay, yes l am, is like we are co-preachers in this thing am just like exactly. This is exactly what l am saying, the more pictures you have of the city the better, there can't be too many, there can never be too many and the thing is before they used to say it's a security and l used to say and nobody taken pictures of the state house, like most photographed cities should be the most attacked but no, so really that' s not an excuse anymore. Like now let's go beyond, let's just do better okay, let's do better and it will not take 10 years, no it won't take 10  years, yeah, this l've got psych, l've got psych oh you need to get into the zone.

I do actually, there has been enough years that am like when Sakaja got in and made those announcements, l was like okay, am excited, l haven't been out yet, l need to find out from people that have, that have,how it is, yeah, how it is out there, because he can't run around after “kanjo” and cops, he can't, just because where l am in life,also some risks, no are unnecessary, because you no longer belong to yourself. Yes. Like there is absolutely no need, if anything goes extremely wrong, “nitaambia nini watu,” you know, “kwanza hao wawili wadogo,” that nilikuwa tu napiga picha, imagine, that we do not need. And that brings an end to this particular episode of Phantom and Friends, Mutua Matheka is an amazing friend and he loves Nairobi so let's make sure he can capture Nairobi and capture it beautifully with Phantom X. See yah!