How photography became my mainstay despite not having passion for it – Abubakar

Abdulrahman Abubakar is thr CEO of Classic Photography, a Kaduna-based photographer, that has carved a niche in the profession by taking important moments for his clients.

However, his journey into the profession was put upon him due to the challenges life threw at him. His resolve to be independent in his affairs led to forging paths in little opportunities he was exposed to.

“One of the reasons that made me venture into photography was not for passion, but I was stranded as I didn’t have any job to do. Before then, I lost my dad. I am an independent person, and I love doing my things on my own, even before I lost my dad, there was a project I was trying to work on. So, instead of giving up, I had to find something else to do to see how I could keep myself going and be able to take care of my needs.”

The only opportunity he was exposed to after the event was photography when he got a job at a photography lab, Glitters Photo Lab, as an attendant in photography editing.

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Few months into the job, he got admitted into the Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic in Zaria, thus had to leave the job. But the reality was hard as he strove to cater for his needs.

“While in school, the responsibilities like buying handouts, paying for assignments, and other costs were hard to meet as my mum did not have a good-paying job. I had two to three of my siblings still in school, I just needed to find a means to take care of my immediate needs.”

Then came an industrial strike, which paralysed academic activities in the school. This was a boon for him as he had the opportunity to go back to his former job.

Unlike his first stint, he was occupied with a foresight on how to cope if school finally resumed.

“A thought crossed my mind to purchase a camera to do some photoshoots while back in school to get money to take care of my needs. I started with daily contributions as we make good money there.”

But he had to cope with peer pressure as his colleagues there often spent their money on clothes, phones and food.

“So, I needed to think differently as I don’t have a buoyant guardian who can take care of most of my needs. At that moment, I started making daily contributions of N200 or N500, depending on how much I could afford. I was doing it till when the strike was called off. The strike gave me a great opportunity to go into photography as I don’t have anyone to lend me money to buy a camera.”

His decision was met with jester from those he shared his idea with as those who depend on cameras on their daily living, then, do not make it big, unlike now where bankers and those doing white collar jobs are investing in photography.

“It was underrated, and the few lucky ones that had money then were those with photo studios. I stood firm on my decision and eventually bought the camera. I started without going into studios to learn the work properly. Most of the knowledge I had was on the job. I did research on YouTube and asked other photographers what I didn’t know. That was how it all started.”

While back in school, he was not making as much as he had anticipated because his customers in school were also trying to survive while the camera was not giving him a good output.

As he tried to manage the situation, the camera became faulty along the way, which made him abandon his quest.

“After some years, the camera got spoiled, and the money required was so huge that I could not go back to photography for a year. I started doing sales work in the market after I completed my National Diploma. It was a blessing as I gathered some money during the period.

“I later got another admission into the Kaduna State University, where I had to leave the work at the market. At that point, I was nursing the idea of going back to photography or something different that I could invest in and meet the terms of the requirement.

“I later decided to get another camera but the trend of posting pictures on social media was yet to be popular. People then take pictures to get a hard copy. When I came in, I started doing it based on soft copies and posted the pictures on Facebook, which gave my work a wider audience.  From there, I started getting calls from individuals to get their shots. It was then it dawned on me that I needed to get serious with the job l. So, I started visiting a senior colleague to assist. I was able to level up my skills and advance my work.”

He got inspired thereafter, and he has been able to achieve a lot with photography.

“I was able to fund my education in KASU, sponsor my siblings, get married and it has been my source of sustenance.”

But the road was not a smooth one. “I faced a lot of challenges even at the peak of my career when everything seemed to be going well. I was squatting with someone and out of the blue, he called me to tell me I couldn’t use his place any longer. I felt pained and it was one of the lowest points in my life. There was a time I had to convert my sitting room to a studio and the bedroom was my living space. I had different kinds of comments and blackmail due to engaging in photography in my apartment. After that, I moved on and got my first studio.

“The other challenge was when I tried to expand my studio, I opened another branch and in the first month of opening, COVID-19 came and it ran it down. After COVID-19, the place was demolished by the Kaduna State government. This was after I spent a fortune on the studio. It drained my interest in photography. I was demoralised, down, and discouraged but I kept moving and did not allow it to stop my journey and it was my biggest challenge.”

While stating that his plans for the future are to see how to advance his work by getting a good gadget to expand the business, he advised youth that when they want to learn any skill, patience should be their goal as it is not possible to start today and start making money. “You will face a lot of challenges, so just be prepared”