I know, I know; I ghosted Hive again for another whopping two weeks. I really don't plan these breaks. Some are deliberate though, some are caused by internal happenings within my head. Lately, I've been going through some mental stress, thanks to my beloved country Nigeria.
The happenings in Nigeria make me feel sick. I thought I could live here without having to experience the ills of living here, but you can't escape it. Recently, I have been finding myself again. The thoughts that I'll soon "japa" has been consoling. (Japa is a Nigerian slang that means to run away. in this context, it means to leave the country).
Aside from issues associated with my mental health, I've also been slow with creating due to the unavailability of a camera. My Nikon Z6 arrived 2 weeks ago though, but that's a story for another day. In conclusion, what I'm saying is that I'm back to creating again, and I have loads of beautiful photos to share.
Some months ago, I worked on a collaboration project with a set of wedding vendors to create bridal inspirational photos for a traditional wedding. The results were amazing. Recently, I worked on a collaboration project with another set of amazing wedding vendors. We worked on a bridal look for a white wedding (in Nigeria, we usually have two weddings; a traditional and white one. We legit borrowed the white wedding from western culture, but it's all good).
This collaboration project was amazing as usual. The photos I created were so dreamy and good. I played with colors and tones to deliver aesthetically pleasing images. Talking about it doesn't do justice to how good the photos are. Check them out;
While I posted the photos on Instagram, I wondered why I had better wedding photos of "not actual brides" than actual brides, on their wedding day. After thinking about it, I realized that it wasn't actually my fault.
Bridal inspiration photos are samples of what a bride can look and be on her big day. That can happen if ample time is made available. Sadly, in most Nigerian weddings, there's no time. Time feels so scarce during Nigerian weddings. It's either the pastor is charging the couple to arrive church on time, or there's an issue that needs the bride's attention. At the end of the day, there's either little time to create photos, or no opportunity at all.
If I wrote my CV, I'm sure I'd have said I had the ability to work under pressure. But c'mon! 10 minutes to create photos?
The last wedding I photographed, I had no opportunity to even create photos of the couple. Even after I had prepped them before the day that the wedding was majorly about them and not the guests. The couple were working tirelessly to please their guests than actually enjoy their wedding, I felt sad for them.
It's the 21st century, and it's surprising how wedding planners or event managers are still considered irrelevant by most couples. I mean, why take the burden of making things work out instead of paying someone to take care of it? I'll never understand it though. I wish more Nigerian couples are open to using wedding planners, but until then......... I guess I'll be delivering 10 minutes baked photos.
Anyway, what do you think about the bridal photos?