Rolling With The Waves
Photoshoots are lot like life; they don't always go as planned. I'd scouted this location out for the shoot with Ashley and Jahleel, I couldn't use it. It sucks when you've meticulously crafted something but life has other plans. Things won't always work out the way you intended, but sometimes, they still find their own beauty
Forever To Go
The best part about preparing for couples shoots is getting to hear their stories. You can tell a lot about the couple by listening what they tell about each other and their time together so far. In Ashley and Jahleel’s case, you can immediately tell that there’s a lot history there and it’s filled with humor and love.
One of my favorite stories about them is from early on before they started dating. To hear Ashley tell it, she knew he was the one from the first time she saw him walking through the halls at her school. She’d had a crush on him since then but had no idea that he lived in her neighborhood. One day, she’s walking down the street with her friend As they round the corner, she sees him playing Basketball with his friends. She immediately lets out ear shattering scream and makes a beeline back the way she came. Her poor friend was left standing there utterly confused about what had just happened. (Apparently, Jahleel heard the scream……..lol)
Love stories won’t always feel like something out of a Disney sitcom. Often, they’re complicated and rarely offer that immediate sense of clarity that Ashley had when she saw Jahleel for the first time. If you’re ever so lucky to be gifted with that level of prescience, hold on to it.
Ashley and Jahleel, may your years to come be filled with strength to weather the storms, love to fill your hearts, and laughter to ease your pains.
One year down, forever to go.
Quick Post: International Dance Day
Hey Beautiful People,
I took a break from hospital life to check in with you lovelies. Apparently, yesterday was International Dance Day. Seeing posts from old friends in the dance community made me realize how much I miss dancing and human connection, especially in a physical sense. Sharing physical space and time with someone is its own special kind of magic.
Wherever you are in this world, I hope you find the time and motivation to dance, and hopefully with someone you love. Hopefully, we’ll all dance together again soon.
With Love,
Tola
Life and Photography In The Era of COVID-19
Moonrise at Manasquan, 2020
Hey Beautiful People,
There’s a good chance that your lives have been radically altered by what’s been going on. Mine has too. It’s hard to know how to deal or to process everything, but suffice it to say that we will get through it together.
For those who only know me through this site, you might not know that in my time outside of photography I’m a doctor. As such, I will be pulled into my other life much more significantly. Here’s a list of what to expect in the mean time:
I probably won’t be blogging for a while. Duty calls
In an effort to live by what I’ve been preaching to people, I won’t be shooting any portraits or events for the foreseeable future. I may try to do some landscapes but that’s highly dependent on time and regulations and ordinances
For fellow photographers, I joined the team at NJ Spots to publish this crash course on the outbreak and how to deal with it.
Until next time.
Stay safe, WASH YOUR HANDS, Peace be with you.
“Robert Frost once famously said, ‘The only way out is through’ - and I believe that. I also believe that the only way through is together.”
Quick Post: The One Thing You Can't Replace
Photographers often get a lot of questions about image backups and printing images and why all of that is so important. Sometimes when I get asked about this, I almost instantly want to launch into a didactic about the tactile response of physically holding an image and how that’s different from staring at one on screen. But I think in the future, I’ll just play this clip from Comedian John Mulaney.
In the story, Mulaney discovers the truth about a chaotic night he had back in high school which left some lingering questions about a friend’s family photographs. The truth of what happened to those photographs, makes a shockingly compelling case for why you should ALWAYS back up your images and print them whenever possible
Sidenote: How trippy is Mulaney’s friend Alex? That’s an insane level devious foresight.
Photography As Self Love
I was having a conversation with someone recently about some of the portrait work I’ve done. He asked about the inspiration behind some of my work. The following is (hopefully) a better articulated version of the thoughts I shared with him.
For me, photography, especially portrait work, serves two purposes:
Documentation
Aspiration
Often with a portrait, you're working to help the person capture some version of themselves. The creation of the image is very much like the way humans created cave paintings back in the day. First and foremost it says that this person existed. We as a species have always used visual media to mark our place in each others’ lives. We do this with a mind toward the present moment and for the sake of posterity. And then beyond that, to create a narrative about who we are. You can infer tiny details about the person and the version of the story they want to present based on what they choose to include or leave out.
Many people are uncomfortable with themselves and how they look. That’s part of what makes portraiture sure so powerful. In a portrait, people often want to present the best version of themselves. Sometimes that's the best version of who they are in a particular space-time, and sometimes in the portrait you can get a sense for who they want to become. I've been blessed to have experienced people's self-image change as a result of being photographed.
In the end, we’re all just a collection of stories. Most (arguably all of us) hope that some part of our stories will be cherished by the people who matter to us. Portraits are not merely stories for an external audience. The first audience in any portrait is the one inside the subject. Getting your portrait made becomes an act of self-love.
Inspirations: Mikki Ferrill
Have you ever had a moment when you saw a photograph that didn’t just freeze a moment, but made you freeze? That’s what happened the first time I saw this image, titled “Slim, Dancing, Low Down.” It was probably the first piece that I ever saw by Chicago-based Photographer, Mikki Ferrill. At the time, I was visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, where she is revered as one of their illustrious alums.
I was immediately drawn to this image because I have a personal fascination with dancing and dancers. In a past life, I was avidly involved in Blues Idiom Dances. There’s a deeply emotional connection that’s at the root of the Blues music and the dances it inspired.
More than likely, Slim is dancing to Jazz music in this photograph, but the image feels to me, like a representation of that raw emotional energy that I grew to love when I went dancing. The first thing you realize when looking at this image is that Slim is a tall, broad-shouldered man, who moves with incredible virtuosity. His position, with knees bent, wide stance with ankles almost touching the ground, and swinging arms too fast too catch, is simultaneously difficult and unbalanced. But his toothy grin seems to say “I make this look easy.” You can immediately feel that something electric is happening in that room. This is seemingly confirmed by the disembodied hands clapping in the right hand side of the frame.
The majority of Ferrill’s work depicts Black American life in Chicago. In it, you’ll find moments of joy and intimacy unencumbered by the tumultuous times that surrounded them. This is best exemplified in what is arguably her most famous collection, “The Garage.” The work is an exploration of life in the Southside Chicago nightclub spanning a decade between the 70’s and 80’s. The juxtaposition of motion and stillness evident in many of those images is something that I try to be mindful of when I photograph dancers.
There’s so much that I would love to know about Mikki Ferrill, her creative process, and her life. Many of Ferrill’s images went unnamed. You’d be hard-pressed to find a photograph of her online (except this one). Perhaps my favorite thing about this photograph is that it also depicts a shadow that is likely Ferrill’s. In that way it depicts two giants: One etched in light, one marked by its absence.
For more on Mikki Ferrill, please visit any of her exhibits at The Art Institute of Chicago (or really just visit Chicago).
On Love
On days like today, people often take time to commemorate love. Some do it with gifts, some with promises, some with gestures. Love comes in many forms, so many that the Greeks have five words to describe it. No matter you celebrate, or who you celebrate with, I hope today is filled with love for you and all that you hold dear.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have
desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook
that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate
love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the
beloved in your heart and a song of praise
upon your lips.
- Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
Inspirations: Sunday Best
Russell Lee: Negro boys on Easter morning. Southside, Chicago, Illinois
The image above is very special to me. In fact, a painted rendition of this image hangs in my office. Some who are familiar with this photograph call it “Sunday Best,” but it’s actually called “Negro boys on Easter morning. Southside, Chicago, Illinois.”
The image was taken in 1941 and was part of a collection of works commissioned by the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information (FSA/OWI). Between 1935 and 1944, several photographers were tasked with documenting American Life. This era produced incredible pieces of art that capture American life in with amazing richness and complexity.
According to historian John Mason, the photographer Russell Lee, had been sent on assignment to Chicago with the aim of documenting Black American life in Chicago in those days. Some of the images from that assignment would later appear in Richard Wright’s 12 Million Black Voices.
Most people who are familiar with the image, love it because it depicts five young black boys who seem like masters of their destiny. However my favorite things are the details that become apparent the more you look at it. You start to notice how the boys are arranged in an almost perfect triangle. The boy in the center is positioned in an almost standing pose so that he serves an anchor point. Or how the boy on the far left of the frame is carved out by the overcast sunlight on his hat…….
I could go on forever, but you get the idea. This image is a meticulously crafted composition and yet it feels effortless, natural, and authentic. It makes me wonder about how we distinguish markers of truth and reality and whether or not, there’s a difference
Dispatches from Yankeelandia: Kenopsia and Stillness
The changing crowds in New Jersey are fascinating. When I moved to the shore last summer, getting a good parking spot at the beaches was a real challenge. Now, during winter, some areas feel deserted.
The ebbs and flows of people living in New Jersey is really something to behold. When I first moved out to the shore last summer, I tried to visit some of the beaches. Some days it felt like an Act of Congress was needed to just to get a decent parking spot. Now, in the winter months, it feels largely like a ghost town in some parts.
A few weekends ago, I visited Long Beach Island just to see what I could find. As I drove over the bridge and onto the long narrow stretches of town, I was struck by how beautiful the streets, the beaches, and restaurants were - and also how empty they were.
It reminded of me of a word I learned a few a years ago: Kenopsia - the feeling that a once bustling place is now empty.
I spent the afternoon photographing the waters along the beaches and docks. In the great expanses of water and land on which I now found myself, there was plenty evidence that were here but not many people to see. In lieu of that, I experimented with shooting the water, and the buildings and the birds.
Truthfully, I’ve never particularly enjoyed shooting landscapes and nature. There’s an art to stillness that I am not naturally blessed with. Moving into and out of situations quickly, during weddings, events, and even during portrait sessions is comes much more easily. Sitting there in the calmness of the late afternoon sun, the stillness becomes something of a necessity - a delicate reminder to wait without worry or expectation for something to happen.
Quick Post: "I Used To Be A Mannequin Model In Manhattan"
One thing I always find endearing is a well-dressed man. One of my biggest pet peeves is that men don’t often care how they look (at least in America). I think caring about fashion is an oft neglected part of the socialization of American men.
Imagine my delight when I ran into the well-dressed elderly chap in the city. I complimented his ensemble and we chatted for a bit. He told my friends and I about how he used to be a mannequin model in the garment district when he was younger. The old man’s still got it!
Welcome to the Blog
Hey everyone,
So…. this is it. I’m actually gonna start this blog thing. I’ve tried it in the past but it’s never quite panned out. I don’t know why. Maybe’s it’s because my life is often chaotic, if I’m being generous…. but then again, whose, life isn’t?
So why now?
Truthfully, I don’t (fully) know. Some combination of New Year jitters, sleep deprivation, and the fact that people have been telling me for years to start a blog. Some have even suggested that I write a book (Which I’m definitely not gonna be doing any time soon).
I think another big part of it is that I love storytelling in all its forms, especially with visual media. But when I look back at this platform, the images that are on it, and most especially the stories behind the images, I can’t help but think that things could and should be improved.
So we’ll start now.
Awkward Introduction Time
For those who don’t know me or have never met me, my name is Tola (prounounced tuh-lah). There’s way too much to say/know/forget about me, but suffice it to say that I’ve lived many lives and I plan to live many more. Most currently, I’m a Nigerian Southerner with Yankee tendencies who recently moved to the part of Yankeelandia known as New Jersey. I eat a lot, sing a lot, dance a lot, and shoot a lot. When I’m not behind the camera, I spend my time working very closely with people who struggle with mental illness.
Just in case you have no idea who I am, here’s a photo of my big ole’ head.
Fun fact: I actually hate getting photographed (Ironic, right?), but I quite like this of me taken by my dear friend Elizabeth Coke
A Couple of quick things:
I live many lives when I’m not behind the camera or hunched over a computer trying to edit posts. I’m going endeavor to post with some form of regularity, but I can’t promise a “same time, same place” kind of schedule
Those of you who know me personally are quite aware that I have a lot of STRONGLY held opinions on a large variety of subjects. I’ll endeavor to keep this space most heavily focused on photography-related stuff.
I will never assume or pretend to be perfect. Let’s all grow together with humility and love.
Respectfully,
Tola from Shots by MythicVoice