Ugandan photojournalist, Lillian Nakitende is changing the game for women’s sport as she is highlighting the achievements of women and girls through her lens.
Nakitende started her photojournalism journey at university while taking pictures of the varsity rugby team before she shifted to become a freelance photojournalist.
Despite the industry not being welcoming to women, Nakitende is thriving in a male-dominated profession as she re-frames the stories she is telling about women athletes.
She believes that if sports administrators ensure that the sporting venues are a safe space for women photojournalists, it would encourage more ladies to get into the industry.
Speaking with Tatenda Gondo, Nakitende reveals challenges women photojournalists face, how she improves her skills and shares her career goals.
Lillian, thank you for chatting with us. Please share a brief background of yourself.
I am a 24-year-old university student who is currently on attachment at the Federation of Uganda Football Association. Apart from this, I am a freelance photographer and I have been merging in sport.
Why did you choose sports photojournalism and who inspired you to pursue this venture?
During my days at school, I participated in several sporting disciplines. I played football, volleyball, handball, lawn tennis and woodball. When it comes to woodball, I even reached the pro-level before I stopped playing. One of our university rugby teams needed someone to do their public relations work for them and they approached me to help them manage their social networking sites. I would attend their games, take pictures and post them on social networking sites. In other words, I used my experience as an athlete to venture into sports photojournalism.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as a woman in sports photojournalism?
It’s no secret that there are fewer women than men in this profession. Many people think that women can’t be photojournalists – this is something that I witness each time I attend football matches. It is shocking that fans, players and even officials get shocked or are surprised when they see me taking photos.
As a freelance photojournalist, I find it difficult to access sports venues – sometimes I have had to watch male photojournalists access these sports venues without being questioned.
Also, lack of equipment. I have to save a lot for me to be able to afford the equipment as I want to tell more stories with better photos but I can’t afford the equipment.
What kind of skills are necessary for one to become a photojournalist?
A photographer motivates, speaks and unites people hence one of the key requirements is an eye for detail and great imagination. Photojournalists should be friendly and know athletes’ skills, this helps us when we start taking pictures and videos.
How do you improve your shooting skills?
I benchmark my work with that of my colleagues, people like Eric Onchiri have been helpful. I usually ask him for advice and he is always available to help out. Also, I am constantly researching and practising to hone my skills. Lastly, I welcome feedback from my clients.
How do you decide what is too graphic to show in visual form?
Conscience and integrity. I have taken hundreds of such photos but I have never posted them because as much as I want to tell the story, I don’t want to be the reason someone is depressed. I don’t want my work to have such an impact on people each time I take pictures – I want players to feel motivated.
What makes a good picture?
They say a picture tells a thousand stories hence a good picture has a good storyline. Also, the quality of a photo is very important so a good picture has great composition and is well framed this makes the pictures more attractive.
What camera gear do you use to keep focused on what you do best?
I am a huge fan of Nikon but when necessary I sometimes hire a Canon camera. I am using an old model and I am growing slowly and adding a few things to help me do better.
You recently launched Women’s Sports Through My Lens initiative. Why did you start it?
I noticed that women’s sport is still a step behind when it comes to media coverage hence I started this initiative. Also I realised that when I share women’s photos or video clips on my social networking sites the pictures do not get as much attention as compared to their male counterparts. I want people to be able to put their names to the face of our female athletes. It is a personal initiative and I am dedicated to sharing as much women’s sports content as possible. It would be an injustice for me to promote men’s sports when women’s sports is still lagging.
What should we do to encourage more women to venture into photojournalism?
Firstly we have to create a safe space for upcoming female photojournalists. They should be able to cover sporting events without getting worried about the harassment they might face at the stadiums. Upcoming female photojournalists should start with what they have, if we wait for everyone to have a camera it will not work let us use what we have at our disposal. They also need to be reminded that they are as capable as their male counterparts when it comes to photojournalism.
What are your career goals?
I want to improve my craft as this will help me grow as a photographer. Also, I want to grow as a marketer because I have studied marketing. The end goal after all this will be to merge my marketing knowledge with photographer experience to create a brand.
Photo 1 Caption: Ugandan photojournalist, Lillian Nakitende is changing the game for women’s sport as she is highlighting the achievements of women and girls through her lens. Photo: Supplied
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