When Lara Tiamiyu got admission to read English in the university, her plan was to get a white collar job afterwards, and earn her salary peacefully. Then, the band wagon effect of getting white collar jobs was so strong that she did not factor in her innate creative and enterprising tendencies.
“I started making money when I was in secondary school. People wait for me to come back from school in order to plait their hair. Then it was N100 per person and the queue was long sometimes. Hair dressing is a skill I developed on my own, no one taught me, but I longed to work in a bank or one of these corporate organizations” Tiamiyu reminisced with an air of nostalgia. While in the university, her main objective was to come out with a good grade and get a job. However, along the line, she got fascinated with the camera lens of a colleague who was using photography to support himself in school. Her love for the lens resonated when she completed her studies and was less eager to get her dream job. She saw herself saving instead and bought a camera.
“I have been practicing professionally for like four years and it all started with the inner urge to make people look beautiful by making them up. I have flair for hair and makeup. If I were not a photographer, I would have been a make-up artiste. That is why I decided to incorporate the two and you need to see our before and after make-up picture,” Tiamiyu enthused. Now the CEO of La’ Royal Studios, her experience with the British Council helped to boost her morale and she has participated in a number of exhibitions and worked for both celebrities and corporate individuals since then.
“I participated in their Ebony exhibition where I sold three of my works. Happy with my work, they enlisted me as one of their official photographers. So far, I have met different people and worked for different individuals and organizations including UBA, Total Nigeria and TUSH Magazines. I covered the Beauty Africa exhibition and worked for a good number of celebrities too.” Talking about the profession, Tiamiyu said it is lucrative but most people rush into it for the money, not out of passion.
“Those people don’t come for the love of the profession, but want to use it to pay their bills. Usually, they rush out. You must have a passion for it, before you begin to think and develop the business side of it.” Professional photography as a career has been described by industry experts as an emerging career in Nigeria.
Endorsement by corporate organizations as well as the impact created by digital technology is leading to massive investment in the picture industry. However, like most professions, it is also male dominated. The ladies who find themselves in male dominated industries always have stories to tell and beautiful, young and determined Tiamiyu is not an exception. “Even though we now have quite a number of females in the industry, we still face a number of challenges.
The first challenge is that most female practitioners tend to present themselves as second fiddle and it is wrong. I respect men doing photography because they are always daring, but we are more creative than them. In the field I took complete form of a guy and with my creative ability, my works are always excellent, they ignite people’s interest.
People get bewildered seeing me working with the men but the fact is, I work with them, I don’t compete with them. “Another major challenge we face is sexual harassment. Prospective clients try to take advantage of us so as to give us jobs. Why am I struggling as a photographer if I have to give out my body to get a job? It doesn’t make sense, I should as well dress up and go stand on the street. “On the other hand, most women are actually not comfortable with a female photographer and they really need to change that mindset.
There was a time when I was consulted by a client but the wife was not really secure seeing me handle her job. She misconstrued me as a threat, that probably, I would snatch her husband. “On the whole, I believe that as a lady, you have to work extra hard and know your onions for people to prefer your work to that of your male counterpart and give you jobs.
As a photographer I have learnt to cope with forms of discrimination, and I have received accolades from clients who see my works as very brilliant,” Tiamiyu explained. On her style of photography, Tiamiyu said her style is unique. “I am a lifestyle photographer, I love fashion portrait photography and I do street photography too. People always wonder what the person is thinking about when they see my picture. I relate with people and snap them when they are lost-intaught.
I am happy when clients see themselves and usually, are surprised. As a photographer you need to think fast and be creative in identifying selling expressions. Of course almost every photographer cover weddings, and so do I.” Advising upcoming photographers, Tiamiyu who ran into debts at the beginning of her career said she clung on because of her passion for the profession, said they must love the profession to make a headway in it. “Passion is not primarily concerned with financial gains.
Whatever you choose to do must be something that brings you joy and fulfillment. I have seen people rush into a profession and had to quit after several attempts because they do not get the financial benefits. What they lack is the passion. It is important to note that, there is a harvest and sowing period.” She advised parents to look out for what their children really like doing and help them to nurture their passion rather than being an impediment to their success.
kudos: newtelegraphonline
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