Victor Onugha is a portrait, beauty, and lifestyle photographer based in Nigeria. He is also a final year student of Fisheries and Aquaculture Management at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta. He strongly believes that there are new goals and milestones to achieve and also believes that understanding the mastery of the craft would give you an edge in the imaging industry.
KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
My name is Victor Onugha and I’m a portrait, beauty, and lifestyle photographer; a final year student of Fisheries and Aquaculture Management at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
WHAT WAS GROWING UP LIKE FOR YOU?
Growing up? It was pretty basic— I grew up with very strict parents, and I guess you can imagine how that would have been. Being the middle child, I wasn’t pressured a lot; except for the usual requirement of maintaining good grades and other necessities.
WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
For my educational background, I take pride in mentioning that I had always been a good student even from my high school science class days, so much that I was made the laboratory prefect at the time. I have an OND in Agricultural Technology from Yaba College of Technology and my Fisheries and Aquaculture Management bachelors degree from FUNAAB is in view.
WHAT GENRE OF PHOTOGRAPHY ARE YOU INTO?
Portrait, beauty, and lifestyle is my genre of photography and I am on a mission to attain the highest of all mastery levels.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO PHOTOGRAPHY?
I have always had an eye for good pictures, it sparks up a part of my brain, that’s the best way I can explain it. At a point in my life where I was looking to learn a new skill, my younger brother sent me an Instagram-sponsored advert of a photography school and encouraged me to try it out. I am grateful I did, after attending the school, I worked closely with a mentor who then gave me more insights into photography and the business of photography. Over time, I have metamorphosed into this version of Victor Onugha Photography and I am constantly growing and learning new things.
WHERE OR WHO DO YOU DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
I draw inspiration from everyday life— it could be the movie I am watching, the kind of music I am listening to, the things people around me do, and how I am feeling at a time. It is safe to say I see art in everything and I try to create still images of this art, coupled with an additional [usually emotional] from me. I literally capture stories and put them out there for the world to see my perspective of things and this is evident in my personal projects. Other times, I draw inspiration from other creatives that have outstanding works that capture my eyes.
WHAT BENEFIT DOES PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HAVE IN THE IMAGING INDUSTRY?
I am just out here trying to document lifestyle, make and preserve memories, and create timeless pictures that tell stories of how much art is present in everything we do. The essence of portrait photography is to tell the story of the object or person in the image.
The importance of portrait photography is not just limited to the imaging industry. Portrait photography for people can be likened to marketing ads for products, it is an avenue to sell yourself or your story or profile to anyone who comes across such images. For successful branding, you need a face, and portrait photography does just that perfectly.
WHAT IMPORTANCE IS A NEW CAMERA AND CAMERA GEARS IN DOCUMENTARY IMAGES?
New cameras and gears are very important to have and own but they cannot set aside or override the requirement of good photography skills. There’s more to photography than gears. The best gears only give the best results in the hands of one who has mastered their skills and the brain and eyes of one who has a good imagination.
SO FAR WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR HIGHEST POINT AS A PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND HOW IS THE BUSINESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY?
For me, each milestone is a new beginning, I take my lessons and improved skills and try to attain something better and the cycle continues. So, there’s no highest point for me so far.
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE AS A PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND WHAT STEPS DO YOU TAKE IN OVERCOMING THESE CHALLENGES?
I believe underpricing is a major challenge that is faced by most photographers. There is no structure for marketing photography works, and this is evident as most jobs I get are from returning clients or referrals. Also, there is a risk of one security issue or the other when I and the team need to shoot. As a response to this, I promote my business on social media and politely turn down some clients once they start underpricing my service.
AS A PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER, WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNGER PHOTOGRAPHERS CONSIDERING A CAREER IN PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY?
My advice to younger photographers chasing a career in portrait photography is that if it is something they genuinely love, they should start where they are, with the gears they have and improve their skills, and buy improved cameras as their skills improve. Just keeping capturing images, keep doing your thing, have a goal work towards it and your recognition will come.
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ON THE EFFECTS OF THE RECENT PANDEMIC ON THE GLOBAL PHOTO INDUSTRY?
The world is still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19, people are still scared to travel to have their pictures taken, come in contact with new people, new parents are scared to have a photographer come to take pictures of their newborn children, the financial strain the virus caused on the economy played a part. In general, COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the frequency of photography jobs.
ANY LAST WORDS?
Last words? Thank you for this feature, it serves as a reminder that my work does not go unnoticed. To everyone trying to perfect their craft, my words to them are that they should understand that no one is perfect but should keep working, practicing, and learning, that’s the only way “near perfection” would come.
You can follow up and check out Victor Onugha’s work on Instagram Onugha Onyemaechi Victor (@victoronughaphotography)
