With the advent of mobile phones and the internet, photography has become more relevant compared to before. Photographers are now in high demand and have been able to make more sustainable income. Daily Trust reports.
In preserving memories, pictures do much more for humans as they are passed from one generation to another. The future generations learn about and are able to see the past through images that have been captured and preserved.
Long ago, the only reasons why people walked into photo studios were to capture moments deemed priceless such as milestone celebrations, birthdays, family Christmas/Easter, bridal engagements, graduations etc. However, due to the growth of social media, photography has gone beyond just capturing and preserving moments. It is now heavily used for content creating, social influencing and so much more.
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Social apps such as Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat depend heavily on their users to upload photos on a daily basis. Research by Bernard Marr shows that over 300 million photos are uploaded daily on the internet. His research also shows that Instagram receives at least 95 million photo uploads regularly and Snapchat users upload 527,760 photos on a daily basis.
Tobi Olajolo, a Lagos based celebrity photographer, said he chose to be a photographer because he fell in love with the art and realised he could make a career out of it. He said; “I started photography back when I was in the university; I would take pictures of students after church service. After graduating, I decided to pick it up as a full-time career.” 
Over the years, Tobi has been able to harness his skill and has photgraphed many Nigerian celebrities including Toke Makinwa, Tiwa Savage, Funke Akindele, Beverly Naya, Fatimah Ajimobi and Jemimah Osunde. He says during weekdays, he attends to at least three clients and during the weekends, at least four clients.
Tobi disclosed that on a daily basis, he is able to make a sustainable income from his job. He noted that “Our prices are based on how many looks the client is willing to go for, when we say looks, we mean outfits. At the studio, we charge N100,000 per look. In a month, my total outcome could amount to a million naira or even more.”
He agreed with the fact that social media had created more relevance to photographers. He explained that; “so many content creators need photographers on their team. Photographers bring so many creative ideas to the table. They work hand in hand with the stylists and makeup artists to make sure that there is sync in the work that’s being done.”
However, he noted that cinematography will soon take over photography as many content creators are now keen on churning out promotional videos, adverts etc.
Because of the urgent need for photographers, he also offers extensive beginners and masterclass to people who want to learn the skill and build a career out of it. “For the beginners’ class, the training rates start from N200,000. The masterclass rates are planned according to the skills that will be taught during that particular session,” he said.
Although people have the idea that photography is an easy job, Tobi says it’s not as smooth sailing as people perceive it to be. He stated that “Nothing great comes easy. Running photography as a hobby can be fun but as the main job, it can be very demanding and tasking. Also, the equipment doesn’t come cheap and as a beginner in the profession, it can sometimes be a challenge having to get the necessary equipment needed.”
An Abuja-based photographer, Ikedube Osbert Ifeanyi, said his passion for photography also started when he was in school. He disclosed that “I started snapping pictures with iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S5, editing with apps from e-stores and just helping people boost their social media pages with neat jpegs.
“Afterwards, a friend of mine came up with the idea of starting up a business that deals with photographing events; he would handle the business aspect and I’d handle the technical aspect which is the photo coverage.”
According to Osbert, “To build up the business, we went to far and dangerous locations to snap pictures with our phones and luckily we had close friends who agreed to model for us. Over time, I perfected my skills, bought a professional camera and started my own business solely.”
As he progressed, Osbert has been able to take pictures of many Nigerian celebrities such as Davido, Yungsix, Burna boy, Dbanj, Wizkid etc. He has also provided photography coverage at events such as Delphino picnic, Apientertainment, Caribbean concert etc.
He charges a minimum of N70,000 for a photo session, and because his work revolves around celebrity lifestyle and events coverage, he’s able to attend to a minimum of three clients during the weekdays and two events at the weekends.
While speaking on how social media created more relevance to photography, Osbert explained that; “Social media played a big role in increasing the demand for photographers. This is because content creation is the next big thing and it involves photography, cinematography and even scriptwriting.
He also went on to say that over the years, photography has grown beyond what it was. He said that; “Nobody wants to lose out on precious moments so it’s best they are captured and that’s what the profession is about. Just like art, I can create photographic content that can still trend in the next 10 years. You just have to fund your space and strength and also strategize your way through it.”
Osbert also offers training to people who want to build a career in photography. “We have different training packages which range from N100,000 to N200,000. The price rates depend on how long the person will enrol in the course – two weeks, a month etc.”
A few influencers who spoke to Daily Trust Saturday were able to highlight the importance of photographers in their job.
A social media influencer who identified himself as Jay on-air mentioned that “many would argue that we have enough resources such as good phones, light stands, mini tripods etc to work without photographers and videographers. However, as you grow in content creating, it will become a necessity to create a team which would include them.”
Bright Ere commented that; “Photographers are very essential to content creators. Most times, they are the ones who create the creative layout and background to the project. Without them, you can’t really do anything except take regular pictures. But then again, everyone needs a personal photographer.”
Ruth Unde, a content creator, noted that even with her skills in both photography and videography, photographers are very essential to the content creating a team. She said that; “Due to the skills I possess in photography, I often decide to go solo on my work. However, having a professional photographer on the team takes away at least 80 per cent of the workload.
“With a professional on your team, you don’t have to worry about building the idea or creative directing. They will handle all that while your job remains to give it your best after they have laid out their creative plan.”
