Photographers are artists with the camera, using a blend of technical skills and an artistic eye to take pictures of people, places, landscapes, food, and virtually anything you can think of.

Uddy Samuel, C.E.O UddyTography, a Lagos-born Akwa Ibom man, is a professional Photographer and Videographer. In an interview with Osazuwa Irobosa, Uddy brings us into his unique world of dynamism; telling us about how he started and giving us insight into the world of photography.

When did UddyTography start?

UddyTography started about ten years ago after my Tour/classes in London.

Did you start the classes based on a hobby or you actually wanted to make a career out of it?

Well, it started for me as a hobby, as at first all my hands could reach were the point and shoot cameras and been a creative person that i am, with all these ideas popping out of my head every now and then, I would always look for anything that looked like a camera and take pictures.

How did you become interested in Photography?

My interest came when i saw people’s reaction after taking pictures. There was this one time i took a picture of someone and he said ” you take pictures like you were born doing it”. At that moment i felt like a PRO and that compliment really made me want to venture into photography.

What drives you?

I see beauty in everything and I try to capture the essence, giving my clients an unforgettable experience/moment many years after.

How do you get the person, place or thing that is in front of the camera onto the film, chip or paper in just the way you want?

Before I proceed with my shoot, I spend time to interact with my client to create a bond, and if the shoot is in an unusual place I also get my clients to mingle or engage in a happy/interesting discussion with the people around before the shoot.

I have this theory that “A good photography begins with the mind”. So by doing this everyone is happy and ready to shoot.

Are you a Canon or Nikon kind of photographer?

I am a lover of Canon cameras and lenses.

Do you have mentors that influenced this profession and how did they influence it?

Yes, I have a couple of them.

Hans Wilscot: He’s an Architectural photographer, who made me understand that in every structure there is beauty waiting for the right eye to discover and that if you get the angles, light, positioned properly, your object comes out beautifully.

Kelechi Amadi Obi: He’s a dynamic photographer and painter, watching him has taught me how to communicate with my client while shooting them.

TY Bello: She is a portrait photographer; she made me understand the blend of colours.

Joel Benson: He’s an award-winning filmmaker, his detail to work made me love documentary and film-making which applies to almost everything I do video-graphically today.

What do you aim to say with your photographs and how do you get your pictures to reflect just that?

For every picture or video, I make the one thing I like people to see is TEXTURE, BEAUTY AND STORY, as it relates to every individual.

Are you a lone ranger?

For now, you can call me a  lone-ranger, since I work alone. Am a strong believer of perfection and before I set out to do anything I think it through over and over again to avoid any mistake and if I run into any creative block, I seek a professional opinion.

What motivates you to keep taking pictures even with the present economy?

Passion is my driving force, every good craftsman knows how to use the economic situation to his advantage.

What kind of pictures do you take?

I take documentary, Events and Portrait photography.

When you are not taking pictures, how do you distract yourself?

Interestingly I do other things like Songwriting, Singing and playing the guitar. ” When i’m not doing what I love, I move on to the other thing I love”.

So I heard some photographers have clients who want to look a particular type of way body wise. Have you ever had such clients? and what’s your first reaction?

Lol, yes I have met clients like that, the plus-sized ones want me to make them slim and even the slim ones want to look even slimmer.

Being a photographer I learnt to understand body structure, so my first reaction is to first understand that these are uncomfortable areas in the client’s life and it should be treated with wisdom.

Do you ever find yourself looking at the world wondering what it would look like in a photograph?

This question seems like a little ambiguous, but I would like to take a picture of the Earth myself from out of space to believe it is what we see it as.

See some of his photos below: