Brian Lunga - Photographer and American Football Coach

Years ago, a father presented his son with a Nikon film camera. That one gift sparked in his son an interest in photography that grew into a passion for the art of capturing images. Almost two decades later, Brian Lunga is making a name for himself as the owner and head photographer at Brian Lunga Photography. 

In his career as a photographer, Brian has photographed high profile people like Pope Benedict XVI and major events like the 2011 England Riots. Despite the experience of covering major events, Brian specializes in wedding photography stating, “I get a buzz from the whole wedding atmosphere. The tension, the love, the emotions, the nerves…you feel it all from everyone…” 

In addition to photography, Brian is an American Football player and coach. Having started playing football at university in 2007, he has kept it up and currently plays for the Sandwell Steelers. When he is not on the field playing, he coaches the Worcestor Royals, the University of Worcestor’s American Football team. 

Brian is also an award nominated radio presenter; having been nominated for ZAA Best Presenter Award in 2012. The nomination was for his work on Visions Radio where he was involved in the hosting, presentation and production of three radio shows. 

Read more details of Brian’s story in the interview below. 

So, who is Brian Mduduzi and what is your raison d’etre? Where are you based?

Mduduzi, which means ‘comfort’ (for those that don’t know), is the soft, gentle, rational half. Brian on the other hand is the go getter, aggressively passionate and has tendencies of losing logic from time to time.

I am based in Birmingham, UK. 

What is a typical day in the life of Brian?

The day starts off with a morning gym session three times a week, on the other four days I walk instead. I have a shower, meditate, have breakfast, check emails and newspapers; from there each day is different. It would vary from photographing to meetings and just laughter.

You are the owner & head photographer at Brian Lunga Photography; how did you get into photography? Is it something you were always interested in?

My first love for photography was in 1999 when my dad bought a Nikon film camera. 15 years later it still takes beautiful photographs. I rekindled my love for photography in 2009 where I picked up a Nikon D70 and from there one thing lead to another.

What types of photography services do you provide?

I provide mainly wedding photography services. I get a buzz from the whole wedding atmosphere. The tension, the love, the emotions, the nerves; you feel it all from everyone and you feel it for everyone too. 

I recently got married and I was particularly worried about having smart phones, iPads & cameras showing up in the professional photos of me walking down the aisle. What is your photography pet peeve? 

My photography pet peeve is people trying to direct how I should do my job. You have a lot of people with DSLR cameras nowadays and they all think they are professionals. Thankfully the end result always shows the difference. 

Do you do celebrity photography aka paparazzi shots? Who’s the biggest celebrity you’ve papped & what’s the biggest event you’ve photographed?

I am not a paparazzo. The risk factor is too much, you can spend a few days without actually getting good shots that can be used by the media. Would you class Pope Benedict XVI as a celebrity? If so, he is the biggest celeb I have photographed. The two biggest events I have photographed were of the England riots that took place in 2011 and Britain’s Next Top Model Live 2009.

Up until recently you were in broadcasting, producing and presenting at Visions Radio. What was your show about?

I had three shows at Visions Radio. I had the ‘Love Zone’ which I produced and presented myself, it was mostly about connecting lovers and family in different parts of the world.

I co-hosted ‘Dr Love’ which was centred on relationship problems and a panel trying to help solve them. I also co-produced and co-presented ’Talking Soccer/Talking Football’. It was an amazing experience which was facilitated by Ezra Sibanda and Eric Knight. I also got nominated for the ZAA Best Presenter Award in 2012.

Why did you leave broadcasting and is it something that you will get back into in the future? 

I wouldn’t say I left broadcasting as I still help out once in a while with a few stations around. I think I may go back soon especially to try facilitate a show like ‘Talking Soccer/Talking Football’. The show had amazing support from all parts of the world. 

At the moment you’re an American football player and coach. That’s on the other end of the spectrum from photography & broadcasting. When did you start playing American football?

It is not the other end of spectrum (in my thinking) haha. Reason I say so is that everything I get involved in mainly involves interacting with a lot of people from different backgrounds.

I currently play for Sandwell Steelers. I started playing American football in 2007 for the university team the Greenwich Mariners.

Which team/s do you coach? How does your team rank in their league?

I am currently a running backs coach with the Worcester Royals who are a university team (University of Worcester). They are a brilliant bunch of lads who this past season (roughly Sept to March) made history by recording their first win in 32 games. They went on to win two other matches finishing the season with 3 wins and 5 loses the best season since the team was formed in 2009.

How do you keep your players motivated? Is there a ritual that you follow pre & post match?

I think player motivation comes from you showing belief in them all the time no matter how bad they seem to have prepared or played. That unwavering belief slowly makes them grow and believe in themselves. My pre game ritual is to individually shake every member of the team’s hand just before kick off.

In Australia there is ‘Mad Monday’, where Australian football players celebrate the end of the season in what would be described as a “go hard or go home” approach to partying. What do you and your teammates do to celebrate the end of the season?

Our ‘Mad Monday’ is every week haha. We try have socials every so often. We usually have an awards night which always promises good food, good fun and a lot of falling over in the early hours.

What’s next for Brian?

Well I guess I have to conquer the world now haha. This year has been brilliant, I have a few things lined up in the pipeline. Just follow me on my Facebook (Mdu Brian Lunga) and Instagram (brian_lunga) to keep updated.

How do we get in touch with you for photography services?

You can email me on contact@brianlungaphotography.com or my Facebook page Brian Lunga Photography.

Author: Char Images: Brian Lunga

#nov. 10 2014#brian lunga#brian lunga photography#american football#visions radio#mini & char#november 2014