Oga Fotographer: This is just the beginning

Shoppers at Ikeja City Mall in Lagos. Photo credits: Lamidi Bamidele

Yes, I am a photojournalist but that is not all you need to know.

Often times, I have been asked what exactly led me into photography and events coverage.

Well, If I wake up to that question, my answer may be 'nothing' because my love affair with taking photos is sacred - a belief I hold dear.

On the flipside however, I may say from growing up in my teeny-weeny years, I loved seeing colourful drawings and I appreciated them very much even though I could not really interpret photos then.

I didn't understand still drawings, fish eye shots, abstract images etc

I started taking photos from age 12 using my father's large camera which is today extinct and obsolete as far as digital media is concerned.

When I got my first personal camera at age 15, three years after, I was so excited that I hit my now bald head on the ground out of excitement.

The cravings for going out then became very strong in me and my journey into photography begun.

I remember one secondary school excursion when we visited Olumo rock at Abeokuta in Ogun State where I brought my camera with me (of course) but postponed the picture-taking until the tail end of the trip.

This wasn’t odd for me; it was my usual picture-taking habit.

I remember having the distinct feeling that taking out my camera made me too vulnerable. Maybe I was afraid that someone would laugh at me for the things I wanted to capture on film.

Photo-taking came natural and was to me as water is to a fish.

When I clocked 21, I realised that I could actually monetise my photography talent when I came in contact with an Old Uncle.

Uncle Waheed tutored on the commercialising my efforts and that was it!

I thought going to a school for it would be a good idea, so I enrol in a coaching school in my neighbourhood.

My life changed greatly as I improved on my talent and skill.

Whenever I take photos of people, and charged money for it, I used that money to pay for coaching school and to cater to other needs.

I’m unsure where this idea even originated, or how I decided to attempt it. I had never thought of myself as the sort of person who could simply start doing something and make money from it in order to reach a goal.

Thanks to Uncle Waheed.

It did not stop there. I have been making some good money but I need connections to great people in the society and so I applied at Vanguard Newspapers.

Till now, I have been gaining ample professional experience and I have some good business contacts to help me fulfil my dream as a professional photographer.

That’s got to be a good thing for the world.This is the beginning... To be continued.