Jim Richardson once said, ‘If you
want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff’,
which is exactly what Thomas Mokoena does. During the week you may find him
working at Wesbank in Fairland and part time you may find him focusing on his
Bcom Accounting studies. However, during weekends he stands in front of “more
interesting stuff”, as he works towards making a career out of what he loves
doing, which is of course photography. Therefore, although he may consider
himself to be on the “Come Up”, we should definitely lookout for T-Snaps.
All those close to him and those
who may know his journey as a photographer may be fascinated by the journey he
has taken so far, considering the fact that his only 21 and his interest in
photography started during his matric year in 2012, “I just got my hands on most of
my friends’ smartphones taking images of them. They kept on complementing me on
how dope they are and one of my closest hommies suggested that I take it
serious. That’s where the whole thing started. It was something that I never
knew about myself.”
Although he may consider himself to
be on the come up, one may look at his journey as not only interesting, yet it is also an inspirational one which shows us
that with a whole lot of passion and determination you can only go far. As one
of his memorable photo-shoots among the many other interesting photo-shoots he
has worked on is definitely his latest shoot which he had with ‘$HOT! BY W.A.T.E.R’.
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What started out as just an
interest and hobby lead to him coming across interesting projects which he loves,
“I
love the fact that I get to tell my stories through the interpretation of
visual arts. I get inspired all the time when I capture.” This is the
same love and passion which pushes him to work towards his goal of someday
owning a Photography and Film company as well as looking into collaborations
with other great local and maybe even international individuals who work in the
photography and Film industry.
Thomas may be a very busy
individual who is working towards an interesting goal; however, when he isn’t
working you may find him on the streets of Braam, “Braamfontein is my favorite
hangout place. I get to socialize and chill with like-minded creatives who are
dope in their own right and as Frypan would say: “Braamfontein is like New
York’s Brooklyn”. Yet sometimes you may not even run into him at Braam
during his spare time, as you may often find him with his Xbox.
Those who may be close to Thomas
may know that besides him believing that a dope watch is a necessity, he
believes in supporting our local street culture brands as he believes that
without us supporting them, they will not grow. Therefore, you may not constantly
find him in the mall as he would much rather support the brands which
contribute to our street culture. Yet if given the opportunity he would love to
do his shopping in Japan and maybe even raid Kanye West’s closet.
Thomas has worked hard to get to where
he is today and he advises those who are interested in photography that, “Photography
is NOT just about pressing the shutter button. You need to know when and how to
capture (precision, timing and angle). This is very important. Be passionate
and enjoy.” But as for him; in
the nearer future he sees himself as a “well established professional photographer.
It’s still a path that I’m taking and being new and on the com up, I’m going to
grab every opportunity that comes my way with both hands.” And it’s a path which has been worth
all of the hard work because besides all the amazing opportunities he has had
and the interesting path which he has taken;
“Thomas is just a young, ambitious,
opinionated and goal-driven 21 year old from Randfontein who is deeply
passionate about Photography and Film.”
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You can always keep up with Thomas on
Facebook @ Thabo Thomas Mokoena as well on twitter @Thabo Thomas Mokoena
Happy Shopping Guys
XoXo
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