- Kindly Introduce Yourself
I am Chris TILÉWÁ, I am a Nigerian Creative with ties in Photography and Writing.
- What was growing up like?
Growing up was filled with various socio-interactions as comes with the reality of living in Lagos, Nigeria. My family and I moved around quite a lot within the state and this granted me the opportunity to interact with people from various spheres of life. It wasn’t until my mid-teens that I began taking trips outside Lagos to various other states in Nigeria and seeing what life outside looked like.
- What’s your educational background?
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Pure and Applied Psychology from Adekunle Ajasin University, formerly Ondo State University.
- How did you start Photography?
If I’d ‘hit the nail on the head’, the answer to this question is that I started photography by picking up a camera and continually taking pictures, whilst basking in the joy of that repetitive process, but my real attraction to photography can be traced back to growing up as a child who often had prints of images and illustrations in books, magazines and other print media materials that laid around our house. Before I even began reading the texts, I would spend a bulk of the time looking at every single image in them, lingering on one before hopping to the next, trying to understand what the story was before checking the attached text.
- Was it just a hobby or did you from the onset want to take it as a career?
It began as a hobby.
- What type of Photography do you do?
I’m pretty fresh in the photography industry and I’m currently not limiting myself to one genre of the art. However, I find myself leaning towards a lot of fashion and portraits photography.
- Where/Who do you draw your inspiration from?
The stream of inspiration runs deep and endless. There are so many genuinely talented photographers from present and past eras and I’m soaking in as much knowledge from their processes as is possible whilst trying to maintain some sort of identity that is unique to me.
- So far what has been your highest point as a photographer and what is the Business of Photography like?
High points for me are when impressed clients refer me to other people.
I’ll say I’m still in the ‘school’ of the business. Every day my eyes are opened to better ways to properly communicate the value of my work and express that value into price whilst not seeming greedy. It is the value that is apparent to a client (or consumer) of one’s work that he or she will be willing to pay for.
- What challenges do you face and what steps do you take in overcoming these challenges?
First is the affordability and availability of gears. Photography is expensive. As much as I think that gear should not be a limitation, I also believe that you need specific equipment to achieve specific visions but like I earlier expressed, photography is expensive, so for now I make do with what I have. Secondly, it’s hard to get the ‘established’ creatives in the industry to get on a collaborative project as said creative would much rather collaborate with those on their social strata than give the ‘little guy’ a chance irrespective of whether or not, you’ve demonstrated considerable skill.
- In the Coming Years, where do you see the photography in Nigeria?
I think there will be a burst of creativity and the visual intelligence bar will be raised significantly. Stunning imagery will be churned out in large numbers so effortlessly that it would require a certain level of ingenuity to stand out. Also, on the other hand, the photography space may become too oversaturated that the only set of people who would be making real money out of it will be the influencers–people who, one way or another, are regarded as authorities in the field.
- What’s your opinion on the effects of the Corona Virus on the Photo Industry?
I think it’s a preface to a new way of doing things. It will force photographers and creatives to reimagine their process and the way they market themselves and their art. As is the norm in any society, a select few will set the trail whilst many others would follow the said trail until it completely becomes the new normal.
- Any last words?
I’d love to appreciate the BOPNetworks community, I admire the many contributions your platform offers the photography industry in Nigeria.
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Chris TILÉWÁ is a Nigerian Photographer currently based in Lagos, Nigeria. A Trained Psychologist, He favors Fashion and Portraits Photography and is a Contributor to the Business of Photography Online Community. You can connect with him on Instagram here.
