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Kama Sway
@kama.sway
Landscape photographer based in Germany
Visual creation became a part of me in a late stage of my life, despite that I have always been a very visual kind of person. As a kid I learnt by visual scenes and pictures and that’s how I remembered things. At a young age I started to be fascinated by movies and the power images have to evoke moods and feelings. But that was it, I just loved to consume visuals. Furthermore, I did not really think about what I wanted or liked to do. Growing up in an urban and not that financially developed environment alone with my mum, the need to hustle for money became normal for me. I made a lot of bad decisions as a result of that. I liked to get physically active, which also got me into trouble as a teenager quite often. Skateboarding was the first thing that kept me grounded a little bit. As I grew older, other things got more interesting; cars, parties, girls…but the need to hustle was still there. I chose to leave home at the age of 18, was dragged towards a darker side, and lived the nightlife. Showing off, doing martial sports (the only thing that didn’t escalate) and again making lots of bad decisions.
The way out for me was joining the military and going on an eight-year adventure that made me a lot more than I ever thought I’d be capable of. There, I’ve been taught to take every situation as it is, but also to appreciate peace, while being trained to be the best warrior that I can be. Later on, I trained other men and women in service. Doing this made me realize that I can take on responsibility over others or for certain things, better than I could for myself in the past. After my service as an airborne infanterist was over, I stood there and had to take next actions.
I knew I was good in training and leading people to achieve better but I didn’t make a choice according to that at first. After the service in Germany, the Government pays for education. So I enrolled in an university and because I still had this idea in my head that I needed to hustle, I decided to study business. In the military you don’t have much to say, so I felt this need to finally be my own boss. Together with a friend we put all our money together and started a streetwear e-commerce. That’s where I bought my first camera, to take (really bad) product images. We didn’t know much about photography and it went so wrong – we lost everything and went totally broke. I changed my study subject according to my strengths and enrolled in social studies. Then, I began to coach athletes, doing eventually consultancy for sport organizations.
I knew visual media has a huge impact on how you can attract and relate to customers, and because of a friend of mine who wanted to boost his Instagram account we started to take more photos with the phone and later with a camera.
Up to then, I felt like life never gave me an opportunity to discover my true potential, but I needed all those experiences to find it at the end. I believe true potential can be discovered when being free from everything that the economic and social system we live in taught us. For me, especially overcoming the fear to live a life I desire and not getting into a 9-5 routine for someone else’s profit was a decisive factor. The economy is changing so fast nowadays and I’m sure everyone can make a living by pursuing their dreams and desires, just by sharing it with others and putting in the work. This is what I’m doing and will be doing.
"The coach/trainer within me, or better said, the desire to help unleashing people’s potential, has never disappeared. I'm so thankful that I discovered the ability to create visual content within myself and I wish the same for others."
As I have been coaching in a total different field than photography or filmmaking for some years, it took some time to complement everything but I’ve found it. In addition to some previous clients in the sport world, I now help companies and creators to optimize their work and the way they work. It is very fulfilling to be able to help others achieve more, to aim higher, to utilize their full potential. On the other hand, creating images myself is the most healing and liberating thing to do – I just love the whole process.
"I hope I find a way to complement everything even more in the future, especially now that I have found my way to landscape photography."
At the beginning I was interested in portraits, I really enjoy catching the personality of someone with a picture – the variants of expressions a single face can give you is fascinating. Then, art photography is a way for me to transmit my inspiration and express myself through a picture created with a specific concept. I love both the creative and artistic process behind it and will keep doing this, but landscape photography got my attention now too.
"Landscape photography is the most fascinating photography genre I can imagine for myself - It is a whole different process."
It’s exploring outdoors, getting up early, feeling exhausted, spending a night at a spot and getting up before the sun enlightens the beauty of the landscapes. For me, landscape photography is about ‘doing’ the shot, not creating or having it – it’s the process of roaming through the woods or hiking up a mountain with the camera in my hand. Finding an angle that I like, composing an image with what nature offers me, getting the drone up and capturing the mighty and overwhelming splendor of nature… I think my military service made me capable of enjoying the outdoors to the fullest. I feel like I am capable of handling every situation I will encounter.
"I feel comfortable with myself exposed to the pure power of mother nature. As I have reached my physical and mental limits several times before, I surely know how far I can go."
My first photography trip I did last year in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina had a deep impact on me. I went there on my own just with my camera and a backpack with a few things to keep me alive. I realized again that I don’t need much to be happy… Roaming around for three weeks all alone and sleeping in the mountains in an abandoned war monument made we feel so alive. Finally I felt present in this world, like something said to me “this is it, Marc!” Getting in contact with nice local people and exploring everything at my pace was so peaceful. I spent a lot of time just hitchhiking and sitting in busses, so I think that traveling by campervan would be a level up for my further plans to explore and discover. But to be honest, I obtain the same happiness wandering through a local forest for a day or two.
"I just learned where I belong... Outdoors."
"In adventures, as well as in life, ‘misdirections’ you're willing to pursue lead you to the most memorable experiences and astonishing views."
Those you wouldn’t encounter in a shuttle bus, heading to that ‘must see’ spot. Traveling is a good metaphor for life I believe. There are a lot of expectations and wishes: Seeing the Eiffel Tower, hiking in the Dolomites, seeing the northern lights, having a small house with a nice fence and garden, two kids, a decent and secure job in a company and a dog. Nevertheless, getting out of your comfort zone, willing to take other paths than where the shuttle bus is heading to, sometimes will lead you to a nice old hut, surrounded by trees with the sun breaking through and you get a shot (memory) you never forget. Because it is different, surprising, unexpected. Though sometimes it can also happen that by leaving the beaten path, you will need to put in a lot more effort while you don’t even know if it will be worth it or if you are going to encounter something ‘interesting’.
"But sometimes it's more of an adventure to explore and see the beauty all around us. It's not really about this bucket list destinations. Not even about the perfect photo. It's about being alive on this beautiful planet."
Courage is needed at first to break free from those chains of social standards. My ultimate goal regarding traveling is living the van-life for some years; living a nomadic lifestyle, waking up everyday at another place to see and capture more beautiful sunrises. Things are getting serious. We’ll see what 2021 brings.
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