HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SJ!

It’s Tea time! Pick a cuppa and pass it around.

Shutter Junkies today is definitely not the way I envisioned it 4 years ago. 4 years though? That’s crazy. I am grateful that we are here and that it’s still up and running till now.

SO, IT BEGAN…

Sometime in 2018/2019, I developed an interest in photography alongside some of my friends; Jumah, Halimah, Raqeebah, Kalimah, Wahab. I didn’t understand what photography was beyond picking my phone up and taking pictures.

AKT

At that time, I was constantly in awe of nature and I always felt the need to capture it. I knew absolutely nothing about the professional settings of a camera, neither did I know any photography theories. I just wanted the pictures I took to look beautiful and appealing. So I would ask my friends, “Jumah how did you take this?”, “Halimah how did you edit this?” and they would explain to me. I learnt there were apps that I could edit with to transform the pictures I took. There was a certain level of joy I felt then when I took pictures, edited and shared them. Quite frankly, I would get words of encouragement from my friends but in all honesty, if I were to review the shots I took 4 years back, they are a total write-off! Alhamdulillah for growth.

Like many beginner photographers would agree - and many individuals picking up a hobby, new skill, passion and what not - consistency is important but hard when you do not have a direction, a plan and to an extent, support/ accountability.

I decided to start a photography club because I just wanted a community of photographers, focused then on my friends who could act as constant motivators for each other. People we could easily reach out to, learn from and also grow with. I discussed the idea with Jumah aka Fading Silhouette and we picked the name and the group was created. A tight-knit group then consisting of 6 friends who had developed a passion for photography and definitely had a great eye for beauty.

WHY THE NAME ‘SHUTTER JUNKIES’?

While researching then, I found out that another name for a photography enthusiast is "shutterbug". Shutterbug however did not speak to me. I liked the Shutter but not the bug (lol). So I kept that aside. A Shutter is “a camera component that allows light to enter by opening and closing an aperture”. Basically, it’s a very important component in a camera. I needed a word that captured love for something. A junkie is someone who has a great amount of interest in something, it might potentially have a negative connotation but on the bright side it captured the essence of what I wanted.

Photography lovers, photography enthusiasts and people with great passion for photography, ‘Shutter Junkies’. Everyone who is still a part of SJ today definitely fits this description.

SJ moved on from being a tight-knit group to recruiting members and building an online presence, starting with our Instagram page. Then people just had to have an interest in photography, and be willing to join. What attracted a lot of people then (and still does now) was our photography challenges. Like I stated earlier the motivation behind SJ and our mission revolved around:

• Fostering a community of people with a shared interest in photography.

• Creating an environment that’s set to challenge you constantly.

• Sharing various teaching and learning materials to help each individual become better in their craft.

WHAT'S IT LIKE AT SHUTTER JUNKIES?

The most beautiful thing about Shutter Junkies is that no matter what genre of photography you are focused on or interested in, you are free to do so. Our challenges are never focused on one particular genre and you eventually find that if you gain skills across a range, you can easily become whatever kind of photographer you want, you can become the photographer of your dreams and drive a Range a few years from now. (Amen, somebody).

It is undeniable that there are certain lucrative areas of photography, like weddings, events, products, fashion, food etc. Hence, we have had to at some points tailor some of our contents towards these areas of photography. Understandably, one of the many questions photography enthusiasts have is “How can I make money from this craft? How can I cash out like these big photographers? How can I be a professional?”

There are several ways to do this, however easy or hard it is for different individuals. Hence, as the world evolves and with the progression of social media and the digitalising of brands, photographers have now focused a lot on building product photography skills. Everything is about branding and storytelling.

Over the years, Shutter Junkies has had the privilege of inviting and learning from several amazing and top photographers; Garbs, RidhwanJohnson, Temiiya, KahliBrown, Tobi Arowona, Anjola Awosika, May Visuals. In our last photography webinar, we learnt a great deal about what it takes to be a food and product photographer. The importance of lighting in photography and the reason why it’s important for Nigerian food photographers to curate high quality content so they can showcase the beauty of our delicacies. It’s been really impactful connecting with these photographers and we definitely look forward to collaborating with many more.

Shutter Junkies Photography Club has had the pleasure of nurturing many great talents. I am one of the talents that SJ has nurtured, AKT cannot be AKT without SJ. Fading Silhouette, Gbenro, Mubarak (@x_plorre), AbdulBasit (Adebhad), Abdstrong, Mazeedah (TheMuslimahShots), Muktarah (ShotsbyMuktarah), Sumayyah, Sumayyah (Photoedbyafoodie), Maryam, to mention but a few.

We’ve grown together, we’ve learnt together, we’ve played together.

My hopes for Shutter Junkies is that one day, we grow into a grand photography academy, that everyone transitions smoothly from mobile photography to DSLR photography and most importantly, wherever life throws you and whatever life throws at you, you never ever lose your passion for photography. Photography is that one exciting skill that I personally have and never get bored of. There are always amazing moments to capture, places, smiles, foods, cultures, everything. Photography is life.

Thank you for journeying with us and here’s a hearty cheer to 4 years of excellence. Excellence, because one thing we will continue to do is to hone our crafts. We will continue to pride ourselves in being intentional with every shot we take.

To anybody just starting out as a photographer, whether with your mobile phone or a DSLR, remember, you are yet to take your best pictures, so keep at it. Learn, explore, figure out what interests you and go for it.

Create magic.

✍🏽 Khaleelah, Co-Founder of Shutter Junkies