Through Thy Lens

Not unlike other creative endeavors, photography and visual art often become interwoven in the personal narratives of those who engage in these activities.  June Machia is no exception. Be it as an escape or a means to find oneself, photography has indeed become interwoven into various aspects of his life. As he shares his talent for portrait photography and his experiences with us today, hopefully he can inspire all of us to seek and find resilience via the things we are most passionate about. 

• Who is Souleymane Junior Machia ? How would you describe yourself in a few words ?

My names are Souleymane Junior Machia mostly Called Fahad or June. Fahad is a name i particularly hate at this point in my life because it was given to me back in the days when I was in boarding school in Buea around form 3 or form 4. It was given to me by a Senior student back then because he said i always behaved like i was a king or prince (lol) which is funny because it was the name of a Saudian King who passed away in 2005. The reason as to why i hate the name now is because it just reminds me of a very dark period in my life.

I’m originally from Cameroon ( Bafia by my dad and Duala by my mum). I’m currently based in Istanbul, Turkey where i’m pursuing Cinema and Television studies. As for my aims and goals in life, all i really do want at the end of the day is to make my family proud of me. But i secretly want to direct a big Hollywood movie, change the Cameroonian film industry and be the main photographer for an edition of Vogue magazine one day.

• On a scale from 1-10 how would you rate your interest in photography ?

I think i’d rate my interest in photography as a  20/10 hahaha. Of course I don’t photograph everyday of my life. Simply because photography is  not just about pulling out a camera and shooting what you see or want to shoot. There are many more aspects like editing, getting ideas and planning on how to bring them to life or even studying the behaviour of light in regards to subjects. But yeah, my interest in photography is really deep because most of the times i’m either shooting, editing, trying to learn new lighting techniques or on days when i feel like doing nothing watching youtube tutorials on photography ( which i think i’ve all watched ).

•  When and how did you develop your current interest in photography ? 

First  off, my interest in photography has always been a love/hate thing. Hate because right from the days when i was a kid i always hated the idea of being photographed ( Still don’t know why ). It’s something i’ve been trying to stop recently as i try to take more photos of myself but as of last year and the years prior i could run through a whole year with just 5 pictures of myself. I absolutely have no problem with that but i just came to the realization that by the time i pass away hopefully my future kids could look at my pictures and see how dumb i looked back in the days.

Now, my love for photography ( excluding pictures of me ) came from drawing, Yes drawing. Back in the days my escape when i was mad or felt low or just in general was drawing. Not trying to brag but i was pretty great at drawing. But, yes there’s always a but, my dad wasn’t fine with me drawing. I have to admit i drew all the time on everything, be it in class during lessons, on the back of my books and i failed lessons just because i wouldn’t write down notes because of drawing. So my dad handled it the African parent way with some beatings and wouldn’t buy me anymore drawing material which forced me to stop drawing. About two years later when i made it through the GCE ordinary level amongst the bests in my school my dad offered me a camera which i loved and i started taking photos of about everything around me or everywhere i’d go to. But about 2 weeks in with the camera i got robbed of it and so i had to find a way to take new photos. So i used to borrow my dad’s tablet and kept taking pictures which were very ugly but i felt like they were the best pictures to have ever been taken. Summer passed and time came to return to dormitory school, electronics not allowed i couldn’t take photos there and i had lost all interest in drawing. I didn’t actually lose interest in drawing, i had just lost my hand ( Drawers will understand me ). I wasn’t able to draw anything anymore and i wasn’t willing to re-learn something that had taken me over 10 years to learn in the first place. I then went through 2 years without making photography until 2014 when my dad tragically passed away. That was the point where photography helped me suck everything i was going through and feeling at that moment. My elder sister had come from France for the funeral with a Nikon d5100 which i borrowed and used to take pictures of the whole ceremony. While doing that, I wouldn’t talk with anyone and i would not feel as bad as i was supposed to feel.
Since then i took photography more seriously and it really helps me as a therapy and an escape. Today when i take shots i still feel like i’m drawing because i’m the one who decides what i will include in my frame, or where what will be placed ( complicated but i see it that way ).
The story doesn’t end there as i dropped photography again in December 2015 till August 16th 2016 ( which is my birthday ) because a series of unfortunate events happened to me and i fell into a depression which eventually led me to selling my camera to get rid of it ( smart move i know ). So that’s about it for my interest in photography.

• How would you describe the impact of photography in your life ?

As described above i think it’s simple to understand what impact this thing called photography has had in my life. It’s just my escape, what makes me feel good about myself and a life saver for me.

• Would you mind describing the effect that living in Istanbul has on your creativity ?

Living in Istanbul has had a very big impact on my creativity because it’s a place where people are very secluded and so it’s not the kind of place where you’ll meet someone and he or she will just be glad to pose for you just like that. So, after a year of being here i had almost never shot any one and i really wanted to do so. The only way for me to get people to pose for me was to think different or rather be more original. After all that’s what art is all about, being original. So i totally refused shooting and editing like every other photographer did just because that’s what they’re used to here and i started shooting and editing the way i felt was fine for me. I’m a very mellow kind of person, i’d rather have a glass of wine and a book or movie over a night out at clubs. So i put that mood of mine in my shots which is why i shoot super dark images or shoot in that mood but with colors all around. It wasn’t easy and still isn’t easy but things are definitely a lot different as random people write to me, wanting to collaborate with me or even wanting to learn my techniques and i have more people wanting to work with me now.

• What are your other interests in life ? 

Aside from photography i have other interests in life such as graphic design ( which weirdly enough almost always goes along with photography/photographers ) and writing. Yeah i do a lot of writing, from spoken word to song writing. I’ve helped a few Cameroonian artists (can’t mention names) during song writing processes which i don’t particularly like because i feel bad to not be able to use my own words on a track as i probably have the worst voice ever according to me. Speaking of music i can say i do produce some instrumentals as well which i either give to my musician friends or just keep them to myself for my own listening. I really do love cooking and food as well, sometimes i wonder if i shouldn’t get into a cooking school. I used to be a gym rat back in the days but that was back then. Aaaaand i can’t express how much i love the english language. I’m from a full francophone background but i just love listening, seeing or speaking this language in which i feel very comfortable. Even more comfortable more than my supposedly first language. Couldn’t go through this without saying i’m probably the biggest Liverpool football club fan. I think that’s the first city i’d like to visit if i ever go to the U.K.

• By the way why the name ‘June’ ?

The name June was given to me by my mum ( Rest In Peace to her ) when i was a little because i’ve always hated the name Junior. I’m my dad’s Junior, don’t get me wrong i love my dad to death but i just have a problem with that name Junior. For as long as i can remember i’ve been called June by my family and some of my closest friends.

• What’s next for you ? Any projects, ideas you would like to share with us ?

The next thing for me is probably to work on myself as a human being first before any project or anything. I love myself as a whole but i have confidence issues. Have i had a little more confidence in my life prior to now i think i would have been in a better position in my life at this moment. So yeah, i’m about putting myself to the test and stepping out of my comfort zone. Now, how do i intend to do this ? First off, I had to take my bed out of my room and put a couch there because i have to cut a lot of sleeping hours off of the schedule. Call me crazy but it works for me and i’m not ashamed to say i don’t have a bed anymore. Second i’m starting this YouTube channel where i’ll vlog about my life without trying to sugar-coat it. Honestly it might not be the nicest channel to millions of people or people might even think i want to get into this because of YouTube money but in the end all i really want to do is to be able to put myself out there without being scared and in full confidence. Honestly at this point in my life i still can’t stand to talk in front of people. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because i’m in this shell but God knows how much i want to break out of it. People always see me and think i’m such a talkative and outgoing person but don’t know deep down i’m scared of what people would think or say of me. So yeah, aside from working on me and challenging myself there’s this 365 street photography project i’m working on. I still don’t know if i should keep it essentially to Istanbul or add some different locations to it but it’s definitely on the way with a few short films of mine and as for the rest i just can’t share anything at the moment.

• What advice could you give to my readers ?

The advice i could give from my own little personal experience is first to never give up on yourself and the things you’re passionate about. Secondly, which is very important as well is stay away from laziness and complaints. Some people really think they are putting in a lot of efforts into many things until they get around people who really are working almost 16 hours a day and see they aren’t working hard enough. And as i mentioned complaints, I’ve been through it and trust me nothing is ever easy but complaining is worse because i just think we’re the products of what we go through, so complaining all day and doing nothing won’t help. In the end good work just speaks for itself. So to anyone reading this, suck up your complaints and pain and actually put in the work and eventually in due time it will pay off no matter how long it takes. And if i should add something it will probably be to not be scared to create whatever comes to your mind. Personally i have images or things i’ve created that i find really ugly but i made it and i support my work a 100%.

Thanks June for taking the time to answer our questions. Best of luck on your projects .