Omotola Ajibade.

Creatives

August 26, 2016
12:02 pm

Tell me a little about yourself

I like to call myself an aspiring Renaissance Man. The easiest way to describe it is someone who’s an expert on several topics. It’s basically a fancy of way of calling myself a HUGE nerd. I like to travel a lot and that has given me a lot of love for learning about people, their cultures, and perspectives. I love experiencing new things so I am willing to try most things at least once. When it comes down to it, I just wanna have some cool stories to tell my nieces and nephews one day.

Tell me a story… Any story.

The worst kind of Saturday is the one you can’t enjoy. There’s a dent in the pillow where her head used to be. There’s a silence in the space where she used to sing. You hear a knock at the door and no one is there but the rain and the remnants of the thing you used to call your wedding cake.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Nigeria but I live in the US these days. I’ve spent about half of my life going back and forth between both places.

What’s in the kit bag when you go shooting?

I have a Nikon D5100 and an 18-55mm lens. That’s what I use for the majority of my shoots. It’s pretty versatile but it’s also very basic so it can be limiting at times. I also have a Tamron 70-300 mm lens that I use for a lot of my telephoto and macro photography. That one tends to be my workhorse whenever I’m shooting animals and especially when I go out to concerts. Last but not least, I try to keep all 50mm f/1.8 lens handy in case I really want to focus on portraiture, working with different depths of field and bokeh photography.

Do you shoot for magazines?

No, but I would love to.

Would you say you have a particular style?

I’m not sure. I’m kind of all over the place when it comes to style. I’m always looking for a creative challenge so my “style” is constantly evolving.

What do you think makes a great photo?

I think a great photo is one that hooks you in from the first instant that you see it. It immediately fills your headspace and makes you feel like there’s a dialogue going on between the picture and you.

How much freedom do you have when you are doing a shoot with a model or an artist?

I don’t worry as much about my freedom as much as that of the people I’m working with. I’m pretty easy going but I find it is much easier to get good results when your subject is comfortable with you and the space you’re working in. I encourage autonomy in the people I work with, so as a rule of thumb, I try not to pose my subjects but I will offer suggestions if I feel it is warranted.