What are your names?

Obi Somto Ikenna

Obi Somto Ikenna

The interesting thing is that you have a degree in Banking & Finance! So why Photography?
Eermm… it just happened. First it started as a hobby, and I kept doing it, and I kept getting better, and people started noticing my work, and I started getting calls from here and there – do this and that – and since then I have never bothered to use my certificate
So is it paying your bills?
Yeah, it is
Would you say photography is a passion or a profession?
At this point of my life, it is both a passion and a profession; but, four years before now, I would have said it is a passion because I was just doing it, but now I have built a profession around it.

Passion or Profession?

When on set, what is the thing that inspires you?
God, sex, boobs…
Do you have any mentors?
Yes, I do, they are Kelechi Amadi Obi & Jide Alakija
Any photographer you’re looking forward to working with?
That’s a tricky question …Because the kind of photography I do though, I don’t look forward to working with anybody in particular.
Long term plans?
I’d like to teach photography someday…

Tell me about your most challenging shoot?
*laughs I’m not sure I should say this…*laughs*
It became my most challenging shoot because of a mistake I made. It was a shoot at a beach, and before I do any shoot, I always plan it in my head. So this time I was going to use lights, so I packed up all my equipment, then, I set up my lights, everybody was ready, so, when it was time to connect the light to the batteries, I realized that I left my batteries in the studio.
At that point I was like… OH MY GOSH! What am I suppose to tell all these people? The shoot was taking place all the way at Elegushi beach, and my studio is in Ikeja.
It wasn’t even an option, like everybody was there, and I was shooting with celebrities and you know how time conscious these people are…
In the end I told them that the weather was good and all, turned the situation around, ended up shooting with natural light and thankfully it came out well.
Best shoot ever?
My best shoot ever was when I shot Terry G (See Photoshoot here).
It was interesting for one, because, on a normal day, I would rather shoot girls than guys. Basically, I have the most fun when I shoot girls, but, when I shot with Terry G it was fun, because, he had a lot of energy, me on my own I have energy, but, the energy he had was way above my own and the shoot came out well.
And there is this one picture we got from the shoot, he was on dreadlocks and his hair was all over the place

It was amazing and I had a lot of fun while shooting with him, and I was surprised I had a lot of fun while working with a guy, and funny enough he is topping my chart for now.
Advice for upcoming photographers
Well, emm… me am still coming up don’t know what you are talking about *laughs*.
Well, they should shoot, shoot, shoot. They should not let money be the factor; like they shouldn’t let money be the driving force. Because if you are coming into photography with money at the back of your head, trust me, you won’t go far. Instead just enjoy what you do and challenge yourself.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME: D