SAY CHEESE: A peep into the life and lens of Nigeria’s presidential photographers
On a pair of eyeglasses, through the double-glassed windows of an aircraft, between the dangling glitters of a chandelier’s many bulbs, details of a shoe and even its bloody-red soles, they create, build, speak a million words through the graceful silence of a camera’s lens.
From moments seemingly as insignificant as a handshake to those where pens sign life-changing policies on paper, they capture beauty, colours, emotions, culture, friendship, politicking, and most importantly, taking shots that hold history captive in the fleecing passage of time and releasing it into the everlasting preserve of memory.
Kneeling, running, squatting, jumping, they do all it takes. They surrender their bodies and crisply ironed clothes to the dust-laden floors, ride atop moving vehicles to capture shots, tell stories and document histories of their principals — the men who rule Nigeria. Welcome to the world of Nigeria’s presidential photographers.
TY Bello, Bayo Omoboriowo, Nosa Asemota, Novo Isoro, Tolani Alli — we take a peep into the life and work of these young talented creatives who are telling stories of the leaders of Africa’s giant and biggest economy through pictures.
BEHIND BAYO OMOBORIOWO’S SHOT
Buhari departing in a chopper at sunset
Behind some of the glamourous shots we see are stories of failed attempts, persistence and motivation, like in the picture above with Buhari departing in a chopper at sunset.
“I failed the first time I attempted to create this image of PMB departing a chopper. The thing pained me because I had made every effort possible to get the frame. Some weeks later, everything added up and I finally succeeded at it. Sometimes you fail but don’t stop trying, you will succeed,” Omoboriowo said in a social media post on the image’s backstory.
Young Bayo in the street of Lagos doing what he loves
From taking mini photo passports as an undergraduate student of pure and applied chemistry, under the trees beside Jaja…
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