MIRROR ME

When I first started my blog, my photographer would be whoever was unlucky enough to be around me on the day. As my blog grew and there was a need for improved quality, I went about the process of trying to hire photographers. I have worked with so many people during my time blogging and only a few stand out to me.

Not every single photo I take is shot by a photographer. Sometimes, it still has to be an unlucky friend or family member. But if I have a cool collaboration or really cool outfit, I am likely to save it for a blog photographer shoot.

Not having a big budget, or sometimes even zero budget, automatically limits who you can work with. But, I actually prefer to work with young people who are also at the beginning of their careers. This allows for a mutually beneficial relationship based on the desire to build skills and grow within the industry, rather than a working relationship based solely on the money.

Recently, I’ve been working with a beautiful soul. A young Nigerian/Ghanaian girl called Abiola Renée. She responded to an instagram ad I put out, I checked out her website, we met up, and we’ve been creating magic ever since. I liked her photos but it was definitely her attitude and her energy that drew me to her.

These photos at first, just weren’t coming out right. Everything fell flat. The outfit looked average, and so did the location. We were contemplating calling it a day when Abiola asked if she could try something. She got on the floor, made me change my earrings to a more exciting pair, asked me if I had gold rings (which unfortunately I didn’t) and made these photos.

These photos are all about the angles she shot them at. She lay flat on the floor in the middle of Knightsbridge just to bring her vision alive and make sure we didn’t waste a day. Just in case you were wondering, yes, she looked, crazy. And for that kind of attitude, I will be forever grateful. I’m so excited to experience this blog journey with her and work with her on really cool collaborations as she basically just gets it.

From coming up with a concept to bending over backwards (literally) just for a cool shot, she is a dream to work with. She has a lot of skill and is constantly looking to improve and do something different, but above all of that is her attitude.

You need a photographer with great energy and super cool vibes- someone who will work with you to come up with cool locations and concepts. You also need someone who is determined to get the shot and would go to great lengths just to achieve that. At the end of the day, as long as you’re working with a hardworking and ambitious person, their skill is going to improve the more photos they take and the more direction you give them on what photos you like.

What I would never ever compromise on though, is the attitude, and the energy. Uncomfortable shoot experiences come across in the photos and ain’t nobody got time for that.

You can contact her on instagram- Abiola Renée.