Meet Raila Odinga's Little-Known Photographer

One of the key aspects of a political figure anywhere in the world seeking to enhance their image is a photo of themselves, be it a portrait or of themselves in key functions.

For Azimio la Umoja coalition leader, Raila Odinga, the story isn't any different. Despite losing five elections in a row, he sets himself up for the eventual moment he happens to win, and one of his key investments is his official portrait.

Raila's portrait consists of a dark-grey background with the Kenyan flag on the left-hand side, with the former Prime Minister donning a black and white suit collabo with a flowered tie. However, little is known regarding the man behind the lens.

Meet Evans Ouma, a full-time photographer and filmmaker who has been contracted by the former Prime Minister as well as Kisumu Governor Peter Anyang' Nyong’o, and Homa Bay County Governor Gladys Wanga, among others.

Photographer Evans Ouma with his camera and equipment. /INSTAGRAM.EVANSDIMSPHOTO

He began his craft a long time ago and dove into photography professionally seven years ago after his interest was ignited by pictures from the Msafiri magazine by the national carrier, Kenya Airways. 

Ouma describes his style of photography as one of storytelling, with his images meant to depict the reality of his surroundings.

"I do a lot of documentary work. With this, you are expected to capture authentic images that represent the reality of what you are capturing.

"I do studio portraiture too, this involves using artificial lights to achieve a certain look on photos. I mostly do what is known as corporate headshots or business portraits," he revealed in a recent interview with Who Owns Kenya.

One of his most memorable documentaries was the 2017 presidential campaign in which Raila sought to dethrone former President Uhuru Kenyatta who held power since 2013. He travelled a lot with him during the campaign period and was part of his entourage during international assignments.

Ouma has also worked with Discovery Channel, Siemens and other international media companies. He recalled his experience during a campaign on violence and children for a certain organization whereby he captured images that would draw attention and signify the plight of women and children.

He describes a perfect picture as open to being interpreted by different individuals; one which tells a story is well-composed and well-lit.

"Currently, I use a 5D Mac 3 camera. It is a camera that is great for professional photos and has great lighting. This comes in handy especially when I want to capture delicate moments, as I do not have to interrupt my subjects with the flash lighting we see with other cameras," he added.

He enjoys the flexibility of his job as he is not tied to any schedule. This allows him to focus more on creativity and the development of new concepts and ideas.

Ouma described working with Raila as an honour and privilege as he learnt a lot about him as a person during his trips within and out of the country.

"He is a very wise person with a good heart. Working with him definitely helped me to learn a lot from him both as a seasoned politician and as a noble human being," he praises.

On his advice to photographers taking it as full-time careers, Ouma revealed that one should understand the objective of their work and its impact on members of the public.

"First of all, I think as a photographer you need to understand what you are doing and the impact of that. Understanding your assignment and what impact it has on the public will help them to go towards the right direction.

"My advice is to find your purpose and go full swing. Once you identify what inspires you and what you can do differently, you will be able to create a niche and work with that. Also, take time with your craft. It takes a while to find your best angle and preferred style of photography. So, just give yourself time to learn the ropes and slowly but surely you will get there," he states.

Ouma draws local inspiration from Emmanuel Jambo, whom he admitted he wanted to work with at the start of his career as an assistant, but he had a long list of people waiting, including him.

Jambo is credited for taking President William Ruto's official portrait before his swearing-in on Tuesday, September 13, the first head of state in Kenya to have the flag as part of his official portrait, whose quality is also the first three-dimensional (3D) model.