Bash Fahad Mutumba, until recently, was a little known blogger, digital media executive and poet excelling in all aspects almost equally. That was before he discovered his love for photography, to be specific, boudoir photography that is making him a darling among internet users in Uganda.
According to basic English, Boudoir Photography, or Sensual Photography, is a photographic style featuring intimate, sensual, romantic, and sometimes erotic images of its subjects in a photographic studio, bedroom or private dressing room environment, primarily intended for the private enjoyment of the subject and his or her romantic partners.
As such, boudoir, like Mutumba loves to emphasize is not pornography. It may excite some of you the same way porn does, but it is not pornography.
Mutumba almost blew the internet up when, just the other day, his WhatsApp status featured his most recent boudoir shoot with a yet to be identified Ugandan girl that has since caused scrotal volcanic eruptions among his friends, their friends and friends of their friends.
His status updates were shared all over social media with some horny members asking him to let them eat just the crumbs that fall off his table (carry his cameras, wash the scenes of the shoots, or even hold the lights.)
We reached out to the photographer to discuss his job, what it takes and all the nitty gritties of such a profession. For the record, Mutumba, is the only boudoir photographer in Uganda that proudly associates with his work.
Here are the excerpts from our interview;
QN: Give us a brief about you? Who is Bash?
My name is Bash Fahad Mutumba, 24, and I’m soon graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce(Accounting Major) from Makerere University. I am a writer (both prose and poetry) and I do photography, blogging, and content creation for a living.
QN: Why boudoir? What inspired you to take it up?
In my early days of photography, I was mentored by Oscar Ntege, arguably the best fashion and editorial photographer ever in Uganda, and he always urged me to shoot boudoir. I didn’t understand why, till I shot it for the first time, and I realized it was the genre that fit me perfectly.
QN: How do you get clients? What do you think inspires girls to strip before you and have their bodies documented?
I post my work on social media, and my clients always approach me via DM [Direct Messaging] and book shoots. About why people strip, the simple answer is, we were born naked, and the purest of emotions and empowerment are in nudity. Nude paintings were even displayed in the Vatican worshipping places for a particular time period. Everyone who is proud of their body, would love to see themselves naked, and for the fact that they can do it without getting unfair judgement is up to our society.
QN: Do you face work related challenges? Like hard-ons and thirst?
Attraction is a natural phenomenon, but it is mainly in the human brain. If your mindset is about getting your job done perfectly like mine is, you can never have such distractions.
QN: Would you partake in a boudoir shoot involving a girl you have a crush on?
Yes I would; because at that point, the crush magically disappears. LOL! Believe it or not.
QN: How much does it cost a client to book a shoot with you?
I normally charge Shs 300,000 per shoot, but it can be more than that depending on other parameters like location.
QN: Being a staunch (correct us if we are wrong) practictioner of the Muslim faith, do you face criticism from your Imam or parents? If yes, how do you handle it?
I am not a staunch Muslim, and that would be an insult to pious Muslims if I were to call myself that.
[Mutumba technically dodged answering that question in its entirety even when we insisted.]
QN: What is your favourite part on a woman’s body?
I love every part of the woman’s body. It is alchemy!
QN: Does your photography cover men too?
I haven’t ventured into that aspect as yet. But maybe in future, I will. Especially with more opportunities.
