We recently connected with Mawuena Dogbe and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mawuena thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Recently, in addition to my tech and gaming YouTube channel, I’ve taken up photography, mostly of cars. I’ve always been into cars and recently got into the photography side of things after a friend of mine introduced me to a car show with lots of photo opportunities. As for how I learned once I got started? Honestly, it was just a lot of practice. Just getting out there with a camera and experimenting with different angles and scenarios is what helped me get to where I am with it now. Watching other photographers and seeing how they do things was a big help as well. Knowing what I know now, I think more research would’ve helped speed up the learning process. There are things I could’ve looked up and learned about before just going out to shoot, like the best camera settings, best angles of a car, shot composure, etc. But I ended up learning those things (and still am learning those things) through just going out and taking photos. Surprisingly, the most essential skill wasn’t even directly related to the camera work itself. While your technique is very important, one of the other essential skills is just being comfortable around people and their cars. Being able to strike up conversations with owners opens up the possibility of getting up close and personal with their cars and gives you the chance to get some amazing shots. When it comes to obstacles that stood in the way of learning more, I would say not having my own camera was a huge obstacle. When I started, I was borrowing my sister’s camera, which meant I would sometimes have to practice on her schedule, not my own. In addition to that, being a student with other responsibilities meant that I didn’t always have the time to go to events and get more practice.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Mawuena Dogbe, and I am currently a sophomore Computer Science student. I got into Computer Science because of my love of technology, and most of my creative pursuits stemmed from that. I started a YouTube channel because I love reviewing tech and sharing helpful information, I started fixing phones because I like being hands on with tech, and I started car photography not only because of my love for cars, but also because it allows me to use technology to create something really beautiful and unique. I think what sets me apart from other people who do the same things is my persistence and attention to detail. I try to go above and beyond in all aspects of my work no matter what, and I think having that trait is what makes my work unique and unlike anything else. In terms of what I’m most proud of, I would say how far I’ve come. Years ago, I never would’ve thought that I would be blessed with the opportunity to have my hands in so many different things, and now I get to do and create some amazing things.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

When I was growing up, a lot of the YouTube videos I watched were about technology, and I would say that those videos are a huge part of why I am so passionate about technology and using it in all aspects of my life. The goal driving my creative journey is to inspire the people who consume my tech videos or see my car photography to be passionate about their hobbies and deepen their love for what they’re interested in. I try to create content that I would’ve loved to see when I was younger, and I hope that by staying true to that I can create things that a kid like me would see and go “wow, I want to be able to experience this one day.”

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing people enjoy my work. It’s an amazing moment when you see all your hard work spark a light in someone’s eyes or bring a smile to their face. I remember making a video that was really helpful to a lot of people in the PlayStation community, and just seeing how many people appreciated the video was one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. And when I get a shot of a car that’s just right and I see people reposting it and commenting on how much they love it, it makes me feel complete in a way. It’s very satisfying.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mawshoots, @mawgtofficial
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/mawdogbe
• Youtube: youtube.com/c/MawGT

Image Credits
Mawuena Dogbe