Happy new year.....I know I've been MIA this year and I do apologise but have had a lot going on personally and also working on some new branding and marketing ideas for WOP but I'll be back to regular blogging soon enough, I promise...I've got lots of great work to show you. In the meantime, wanted to quickly share my feature in the popular publication NEXT....woohoo!
Have a great week everyone :-)
Dreamy image of a bride on her wedding day
Wani Olatunde
March 12, 2011 05:53AM |  print  email   |
Why Art?
My dad gave me my first camera when I was about 12 years old and I became the official "picture taker" of the family. However, it wasn't until a couple of years ago, when I was in South Africa with a bit more spare time on my hands, that I discovered my creative side. Since then, there's been no looking back for me - every day is really all about growing as a photographer in terms of pushing my creativity, learning new techniques and defining my own style. It's been a very exciting and truly tremendous journey so far.
Training
I am mostly self-taught and have basically learnt everything I know from magazines and photography websites on the internet. However, I have also attended a couple of one-day trainings by long-standing professional photographers in the UK, just to ensure my education is as well rounded as possible.
Medium
Photography.
Influences
The popular American wedding photographer, Jasmine Star. She is a major source of influence on me. Not only is she a talented photographer but more importantly she is a brilliant marketer, which has helped her grow her business and achieve global "rockstar" status in under 5 years. I have definitely learned a lot from her. However, I believe every photographer offers something you can learn from and that is what I try to do always.
Inspirations
I am constantly inspired by the quality of artists / photographers around me - both in Nigeria and around the world. With the proliferation of the internet, photography has truly become a global language and I spend a lot of time learning and being inspired by photographers in the UK, US, Russia and Germany.
Best work so far
My most rewarding work has actually been my documentary photography work. Two years ago I visited the Makoko fishing village - the slum that you can see from the Third Mainland Bridge (Lagos). I took some pictures of the kids. I really wanted to do something to help them so I decided to create a book using my images, which I called ‘Journey Through Makoko' and then I self-published the book to raise money for the kids. The response to ‘Journey Through Makoko' was pretty overwhelming. In just a few months, we were able to raise over N200, 000, which was nothing short of amazing. I asked the Baale of the village what they wanted to do with the money and he said the kids would love a Christmas party since it was not something they could afford to do themselves. So we planned a party complete with food, drinks, cakes and goody bags; and I am glad to say with team work from an amazing group of volunteers, the party was a roaring success. It was quite a stressful process from inception to execution but all made well worth it when we saw the kids having such a great time. I felt really blessed and thankful that I could contribute in my small way to the community.
Least satisfying work
I don't personally find any part of photography unsatisfying. It can be tough work especially when it comes to the non-photography parts of the job but the truth is that when you are doing something you love, it never feels like work. I believe Confucius said it best when he said "Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life".
Career highpoint
One of the main ones for me was definitely having one of my Makoko images, ‘Funny Girl', published in the leading UK photography magazine, Photography Monthly's inaugural bookazine "World of Photography". I actually got a full page spread, which is amazing, given that Photography Monthly had thousands of images to pick from. I was so proud I bought a copy for each family member.
Favourite artist living or dead
My favourite photographer right now is US wedding photographer, Silvana Frammartino, of ‘Impulse' Photography. I think her work is pure art and I follow her blog religiously as I'm always excited to see what she's doing next. She definitely is a big inspiration for me. Other photographers whose work I admire include Australia-based Marcus Bell, who creates stunningly beautiful images time and time again; and UK-based Jeff Ascough, whose use of available light is simply legendary.
Ambition
My main ambition is really to grow my business to become one of the go-to Wedding and Portrait Photographers in Nigeria. I think I definitely bring a different angle to what is currently being offered in the market; and my ideal client is really someone who loves beautiful imagery rather than someone who just wants a snapshot of an event. My style of photography is really all about creating images that make the viewer feel like they were right there when the moment was captured and this is something I strive for every time I pick up my camera.
