Jacques Nkinzingabo a.k.a Jack Yakubu, took to photography at 17, and three years down the road, he has curved himself a niche as a creative/lifestyle and portrait specialist. Moses Opobo traced the roots of his love affair with the camera...

Who is Yakubu?

My name is Jacques Nkinzingabo, but my friends call me Jack Yakubu. I love taking pictures. I come from a fine art background, and there are a million reasons why I feel grateful to live here in Rwanda but one of my favourites is that I often see beautiful sights!

Did you study photography? If not, what or who got you started?

After finishing high school I enrolled for online lessons in fine art at Lesley/Boston for 1 month and that is when I fell in love with the magic of photography. My plan was to become a director of photography of movies in America, but I was bewitched by the darkroom and ended up majoring in photography.

From that point, I returned to Kigali to get a more practical grip of the technical aspects of photography. After completing high school, I worked as a photographer in mixed media, editing videos and doing photography.

Throughout all of these years I had people asking me to shoot models, but I was rather reluctant to call myself a creative photographer as I believed there was a certain stigma attached to this. Then I started looking abroad and realized that my creative approach to contemporary photography was in line with what was happening overseas.

I was blown away by the inspiring contemporary images being created internationally and realized that contemporary photography really offered me the chance to shoot in a documentary style and also make creative images.

What is your approach to lifestyle photography?

I like to get into the head space of my world and create images which tell their unique story. Part of the reason I got into photographing weddings is because I love to shoot in a photojournalistic style where the aim is to photograph real unscripted moments.

I also really enjoy the opportunity lifestyle photography offers to take creative narrative portraits of people. I always search for the beauty within people, that special something in their eyes that make them who they are. I try to show this in my pictures. This takes time and it takes a deeper understanding of people so I like to have a relationship with my visitors/world.

Where can one find some of your published works?

I have been lucky enough to shoot some awesome images and engagement stories for Green Hills Academy, Igihe, Umuhanzi, Rumalex Publisher. My work has also been published in The East African Publisher.

Are you part of any photographer directories?

Yes I am a part of Kwanda Connect which represents and connects the best artists in Africa. My section, Rwanda, My Beauty showcases the most creative photographs of Rwanda to the world.

How would you describe your style?

Creative, narrative, quirky, soulful, memorable and magical.

Which is your favourite country?

I love the culture and the hustle and bustle of cities like Nairobi and Kampala, but I get more excited about USA and UK. I have done lot of backpacking; my favourite memories involve whizzing around on scooters in Kenya, exploring ancient temples in Central Nairobi, and surfing uncrowned waves in Gigiri.

There is something so magical about going to a place that you have never been to and I believe that travelling has been my greatest education.