The attentive boy, who glances to his right, is positioned close to the middle of the frame. There are two women above him, enclosed within a window, whose glances are equally turned sideways. Besides these three, no one in the central area of the photograph have turned likewise. That is, assuming those two garbed figures—whose mode of dressing denies us any clarity about their sightline—have chosen to look away from the immediate attraction. They are especially noteworthy for the slant in their poise, as though they wish to be omnidirectional, here and everywhere.
— Emmanuel Iduma
This photograph was taken at a festival in Badagry, Lagos. I had been shooting since morning with my friend, Adetona Omokanye, who is also a photographer, and this is one of the last few images I captured that day (mid-afternoon). It’s a flamboyant yet simple picture in terms of technicality, and, to me, it reaffirms the idea that, “if you want interesting pictures, you put yourself in front of interesting things.”
Although it was technically a simple image to capture, I still believe the choice of who and what (both animate and inanimate) to include in the frame, as well as how (vantage point), was solely influenced by my conscious knowledge of what I seek as a visual artist.
My approach to photography is to treat each image as a historical record, made with intentionality at every stage—from creation to presentation to preservation. I emphasize rigorous file management strategies to ensure that each work endures time, contributing meaningfully to our collective memory.
— Fawaz Oyedeji
Fawaz Oyedeji is a documentary photographer and photojournalist from Nigeria whose practice is fueled by a deep motivation to record everyday life, as he believes in the significance of documenting not just for a superior understanding of our times, but for individuals in the future to reflect on who they are and how they got there. Much of his work examines political expression in Africa, focusing on human activity in relation to power. See more of his work on his website, Instagram, and on features in LUMA and Architectural Review.
