Q.

Introduce yourself with three big words

Ans

Iconic. That’s all I have and I’ve thought about it for awhile.

The other two, maybe my name? Those are big words

Q.

And what does COLTAN mean?

Ans

Whenever someone asks about the meaning of my name, I just tell them it’s an Element. Anyone can find the literal meaning, as for what it means to me, I like to keep that to myself

Q.

How did you begin taking pictures/ photography?

Ans

I’ve always been passionate about photography, taking pictures with Android phones as far back as when I was in Secondary School. I started with taking pictures of flowers and landscapes around me, then I used to borrow iPhones and take really long trips just to shoot at a particular location. I’d take pictures of my friends and family and everyone I could convince to pose for me.

I was self taught for the most part, with most of my resources coming from the internet and other photographers I found on Instagram.

Q.

Can you describe your photography style?

Ans

I don’t know that I have one. I just try to express things how I see them. I don’t dabble in heavy retouching either, especially with portraits of people. If I tweak anything in an image post production, it’s usually the colors. So if that counts as a photography style then it’s mine I guess.

Q.

How do you try to evoke emotions or convey stories through your photography?

Ans

One of my friends told me, about my work, that my images are devoid of any kind of complexity and just convey emotions and feelings.

And I don’t think I actively try to do that, I just do. So like I said, it’s just about expressing things how I see them and that comes with the emotion in tow.

Q.

How is your personality reflected in your work?

Ans

I feel like the best person to answer this question would be one of my friends that’s also familiar with my work cause they would likely know better. It’s hard to be objective about how you perceive yourself.

But I would say my personality is reflected in my work same as it’s present in everything else I do. Like with not being a fan of heavy retouching in my work, I’m not one for excessive flare with anything in life generally

Q.

What themes or subject do you find yourself drawn to most in photography?

Ans

Expression of self. Grief. And what it means to be alive.

For subjects, I photograph people a lot, portraits, also plants and elements of nature

Q.

Who are your biggest photography influences?

Ans

I don’t know that I have anything of the sort, my photography is purely what I want it to be. Though I can say that I have people whose work and their dedication to it consistently inspire me to keep creating the way I do and those are my friends. I have a lot of photographer friends

Q.

What body of work/photo/project are you most proud of?

Ans

Every body of work I’ve seen through from start to finish, even the ones I ended up not putting out, I’m very proud of because the journey of creating is not an easy one.

If I did have to pick a particular project that really resonated with me, I’d say Peace of Mind. It’s something I worked on in 2020 after being confined indoors due to the pandemic. It’s about finding respite in difficult circumstances.

Q.

What are the elements you look out for in a great picture?

Ans

I don’t actually look out for any specific things and say these are what make a great photo but there are recurring bits that are usually present in particularly captivating photographs. Which would be, first, the composition - what’s in the photo to start with; the framing ; use of lighting and a lot more really.

Q.

What challenges do you face as a photographer?

Ans 

Everything is extremely expensive. It’s Nigeria, the economy is widening the gap between you and your dream camera & setup but you keep trying anyway. That’s the major challenge, everything else is secondary

Q.

What sets your work apart from others?

Ans

Nothing at all. My work is exactly the same as every other photographer’s out there. 

You’ll have to decipher whether or not that’s sarcasm