Never in my wildest dreams did I ever foresee that I would be doing this for a living.
Daniel Charles Msirikale (popularly known online as @that_tanzanianguy), is a visual storyteller who is passionate about photography and videography. Daniel’s photography journey began in 2014, during his last year of university after he graduated with a major in International Trade and Marketing and a minor in Economics.
Since beginning his photography journey, Daniel has worked with various people who have been instrumental in his success. “The journey of how I got to be to where I am right now, is a book of its own, so I’ll save this for another time.
Daniel’s main focus is photography, specifically travel, nature, documentary, and lifestyle. In recent years, he has also been dabbling in videography and has enjoyed it. “I never thought people would be interested in buying my work until I sold my first print to a friend”, he commented.
“The turning point for me was when I did a limited print sale of ten images to support a dear friend, Valerie, who has not only been one of my biggest inspirations, but also unknowingly one of my biggest supporters. This sale sold out in less than 24 hours! After that, I began getting more and more orders from people who have been on this journey with me from the very beginning.”
Daniel has now been able to sell his portraits to friends, strangers, corporations, and even galleries and exhibitions. “The best part about selling prints is that my work now gets to live on forever in different places all around the world. It both humbles me and fills me with pride.”
Daniel’s journey has been incredible, but it hasn’t always been easy, especially when it came to convincing his parents that photography was the direction he wanted to take professionally. Daniel shared some advice for aspiring photographers who may face resistance from their parents due to the belief that photography is not a lucrative career choice.
Msirikale recounted his own experience of having to convince his parents that he was serious about pursuing photography. “African parents may not be as supportive towards children who want to pursue photography because they believe it’s not lucrative. Aspiring photographers should show their parents rather than tell or preach to them,” suggests Daniel, “I advise aspiring photographers to show them (their parents) rather than tell or preach to them by demonstrating that they have already started taking steps towards their career.” He adds that it may take time for parents to come around to the idea, but success and recognition can help sway their opinion.
In his own journey, Msirikale briefly left photography to work in the corporate world, but ultimately returned to pursue his passion with a renewed focus. He acknowledges that a 9-5 job can be fulfilling and does not discourage it. Msirikale emphasizes that persistence and self-belief are crucial to success as a photographer. His final advice to new artists was, “In your starving artist phase, at all costs, do not ask your parents for money. Unless you want the infamous “I told you so” look. Do what you have to do to survive, but don’t ask them for money,” he joked.
Despite initial resistance, Msirikale’s parents are now his biggest supporters. Daniel Msirikale continues to encourage many aspiring photographers to stay true to themselves and their vision, and to trust that with hard work and dedication, success will come.
Daniel recently did his third print sale this past holiday season and is creating two brand new catalogs for 2023. His print sales have been successful, and more importantly, his work has found a home in different parts of the world. Through his journey, he has learned that success takes time, and that he must believe in himself and his abilities, even if others do not.
