Through Thy Lens

Max Penda is a young Cameroonian currently living and studying in Yaoundé. On the verge of completing high school, he is yet to decide whether he wants to pursue further studies in Journalism or Management.  With enthusiasm and simplicity , he shares his photography skills with us today ; via pictures of  his country; as well as pictures of a recent trip to Paris.

• Who is Max Penda ? How would you describe yourself in a few words ?

I describe myself as a dreamer. I would also say that I am an introvert who tries to see the good in every single thing; even when it means I have to step out of my comfort zone.

• On a scale from 1 to 10;  how would you describe your interest in Photography ? Is it just a hobby or more ?

From 1 to 10 I would scale my love for photography and give it a 7. The reason why I won’t  give it a 10 is that there are other things I love doing during my free time. Nevertheless, photography is my favorite hobby and it is gradually growing into a passion.

• What sort of photography are you most drawn to ? Portrait, Abstract , Landscapes ?

I have to admit that I don’t like classifying my photography because it makes me feel limited. I expose photographs of nature and man-made architecture on my Instagram. But then I do not want to end there. I would like to explore every single type of photography so that later on I can focus on that which pleases me most . Oh well, I think I have time to make a decision

• You are probably one of the youngest contributors to this platform. How does  this make you feel ?

(laughs) I am trying as hard as I can to camouflage my excitement because I have always been contemplating every single update made on your blog. So it feels awkward to be the main focus of a project. I feel important.

• Could you share with us the moment when you started being interested in photography?

My family and I made a trip to Douala , Cameroon last year. My mother had asked me to come to the market with her to help her carry her bags. We stayed there for quite a long while and out of boredom, I began taking pictures of every random thing around me. It’s only when I came home and looked through my camera roll that I was really impressed with what I had captured. Yes, I think it all started from there.

• Some of the pictures featured in this interview were taken during your recent trip to Paris. Would you mind sharing your impressions of this city with us?

Oh Paris, where can I even begin?
Before I came here, I was told it is the most beautiful place in the world. Contesting its uncomparable beauty would be sin. ( laughs) . Everybody here is very organized and courteous. Indeed, the city is perfect and I mean my words.
On the other hand, no human being can affirm perfection unless this perfection is hypocritical. I don’t know if what I am saying really makes any sense but what I mean is that Paris is so perfect that it turns out to be very fake. I equally don’t appreciate the fact that even the least things have a monetary value here. Paris is a business. It is a business in which everyone wants to make his or her personal profit even if it means making his or her neighbour uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, I am the last person who would travel to a country just to come and lament on such minor details. I will try and make the best of this trip so that I can keep the sweetest memories of days I spent here

• What are your other interests in life ? 

I am a tenor singer in my church’s youth choir. I am equally very invested in the journalism club of my school. I love inventing stories and that’s the reason why I created my blog: an African introvert which is sort of a world I created in which I combine most of my inner talents and which evolves exactly like I want it to.

•  What’s next for you Max ? Any advice for our readers ?

I guess I’ll keep following the ‘Carpe Diem’ principle I decided to adapt in my life which involves living your life like you’ll never see the next day. I would advice all the readers to love deeply, eat well, travel often, laugh always and in fact to be themselves.