BUSSINESS PROFILE:Photography a booming business in Rwanda

Photography can be seen as one of the businesses getting on the upward trend. Many photo studios have opened up in town to effectively serve the public demand which is on the upswing in the recent times. The secret behind the development is based on the advancements within technology being deployed in that field of work. The industry has now been boosted by advanced made in digital photography technology whose key outcomes include better quality products which are competitively priced. With an experience spanning eight years in photography, Hassan Mukisa, 25 has been operating the Digitec Studios at Rubangura House in Kigali. Hassan has employed seven workers and with consistency he has managed to make photography a successful business by professionally diversifying its offerings through employing technological advancements which are currently reshaping the industry. The studio offers photography services within its three branches. One is commercial photography that involves shooting advertising spots,covering corporate events as well as documentary and studio photography.Digitec also offers art digital services in the heart of Kigali city where they specialize in production of portraits among other services. “We also deal with specialized events such as wedding commercial functions as well as Videography”, Hassan said.The quality of work output is centred on meticulous customer service philosophy .Team work is the corner stone of the work ethic at Digitec. First of all we ensure that we give good photography positioning taking into view issues such as lighting. The clients view their photographs with an intent of making selections. The photos then are taken for editing, where they are cleaned up and finally transferred to the digital printer for the final output’, Hassan said. The technology applied when the picture is taken to the point production makes the product good in a short time which was not the case before. Photography was only a one mans work which was to only take pictures and taking to the studios. ‘Well I must say that the major element that has made our studio standout is Customer care. This is the most lacking trait within a vast majority of business operators within our industry. When you knock onto our doors you are the king not matter which level. Secondly we maintain discipline which branches out into maintaining quality service as well as timely delivery’, said Hassan. He further explained that people want the best quality work but some of them want to pay minimum amounts for such services. ‘This challenge is a serious one as we feel that our clients deserve the best of our services but the cost at which they want to pay is not at par with the quality we profess’, he added. The company has also offered employment opportunities to those who were largely without hope. Skills transfer is another component imparted on the employees. As such Hassan is quite satisfied in that Digitec has amassed a huge clientele. Among these include Bralirwa S.A, Banque populaire, cogebanque, Engen and Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and many more individuals that have trusted and appreciated their quality of work. The young business man attributes the success of his business to faith, integrity, and hard work adding that the future in the photography industry in Rwanda is promising given the technological advancement. Ends