Grace Ekpu: ‘Don’t come into photography for the money’

Grace Ekpu is a documentary photographer who recently won Art 635’s Days of Dorcas Photography Competition. The practising journalist, who holds degrees in Mass Communication and Media Management, talks to Adefoyeke Ajao about her winning project, her preferred equipment and the challenges of taking remarkable pictures in a megacity.

Grace Ekpu

Who is Grace Ekpu?

Grace Ekpu is a young Nigerian woman trying to do what she loves doing: I’m a photographer and a journalist who is very passionate about her work. I put so much passion into ensuring that everything I do is done the right way. I’m crazy, I’m fun and I love to try new things and learn every day.

You describe yourself as a journalist and not as a photojournalist; since journalists mostly deal with words, how did you begin your career as a photographer? What attracted you to photography?

Even before I became a journalist, I was already a photographer. I was still in school doing Mass Communication when I fell in love with Photoshop. I started with loving images and trying to tweak and edit things, and then I got my first camera after I graduated and I was just taking fun images. In school, when I was studying Mass Communication, there was a course called Photojournalism – where we used to go out with our SLR cameras to take street shots – and it got me more interested in photography.

I loved pictures, especially old pictures and albums, though I didn’t have many and I am still fighting with my parents because I can’t find a lot of my baby pictures. But I’ve always loved the art of photography, and being able to keep memories for a long time is truly a gift.

What’s your creative process?

First off, it depends on if I am commissioned to do something or if it is just something I want to do on my own. If I’m commissioned to do something, it takes a lot of thought. I have to think of the lighting, what the day is going to be like and what my client wants because in the end, it’s not always what you want that your client may want, so you have to think of what your client really expects from you and try your best to deliver what is expected.

When it’s something that I want to do on my own, like my personal project, the creative process could be random. Sometimes it takes months before I do a shoot or sometimes it could be unplanned: I might want to take a drive to Epe or Lagos Island on a Sunday because I want to see the streets and because you can’t really plan the streets, you just have to be ready.

It simply depends on my state of mind. When I want to do something random, I just go with my camera. Even while driving home, I have taken loads of pictures. It just happens, it goes both ways.

So, what inspires you and your work? Do you look up to other photographers and if you do, who are they?

I don’t even have a particular person that I can say I look up to, but I learnt from all genres of photography. You’d see me follow or be friends with people doing different things because I just like creativity and I just like what I like, so everything inspires me. Sometimes I would just be driving or walking and see an opportunity for a good picture. I might just see two people walking and say that’s a good shot because anything can inspire me: people sitting; people going about their daily lives; the whole universe is an inspiration. There’s just too much to do out there and too much to be inspired by that I cannot just say one thing inspires me. My family, my friends, everyone, the street, everything is inspiring.

You’ve said your creative process is quite spontaneous and you could just take pictures of the streets at will but are there any challenges you’ve faced in the course of your work as a photographer?

In our country, it’s amazing! People always ask me “how do you take these pictures?” because sometimes, on the streets, people get harassed for just existing not to talk of using a camera in the face of someone. I won’t say I’ve been lucky because I’ve had some moments where I’ve been shouted at and harassed especially in Lagos. Even right now I have to use my brain and talk to myself before going to Ojuelegba or Oshodi with my camera. I have to go with the least expensive one.

Let me not paint it in a very terrible state that would make people think you can’t take pictures – be confident, it’s a struggle but it’s not that bad. I think it’s just you having a relationship with your subjects because sometimes you could turn a terrible situation into something good. If you don’t say something you’ll never know what you might get. Even area boys, people actually spend time with them, take them out, give them money to buy stuff and then, in the end, take pictures of them; they go up close and personal and take pictures of them in their natural state because they’ve learnt to relate well with them. It’s not as bad as it is, but it takes a lot of work to be able to access anywhere you want to access in Lagos.

You mentioned “using your brain” when it comes to going out with certain gear, so what is your favourite gear? Are you the kind of photographer who packs all her equipment in her bag when she’s going to work or would you rather pick one camera?

These days I’ve been moving around with my iPhone, especially for random things. I bought a small camera, Ricoh [Ricoh GR], it is like a phone but it gives great quality images. I have about 2 or 3 cameras so sometimes, randomly, I could take one to work and leave it in the car.

I think my favourite camera would be my iPhone camera and my Ricoh camera because they are very small and won’t make people scared when I take it out to shoot.

You recently won Art635’s Days of Dorcas competition, how do you feel about that? What were your learning points and how did the workshop improve your work?

I would say it was a fantastic experience for me because I really learnt a lot. I wasn’t so sure of how to make my work something that would tell a story in sequences, how to put pictures together and how to spend more time on my subjects. I was all about “is it fine?” or some of the things I would rather take would be candid shots, things that people won’t know I am taking. They are still good, but they don’t show that you put work or time into creating them.

Days of Dorcas made me understand that pictures tell a story and you need to put in more work to get the reaction you want from your subjects. You need to stay with them and live with them and get the best emotions. So Days of Dorcas really helped me, it was an eye-opener in doing that for me.

Can you tell a little about your winning project?

It was about a female boxer in Bariga; Cynthia Ogunsemilore. Randomly, while we were doing our portfolio review, one of my facilitators at the training, Benedicte Kurzen said, “you know what, I want to give you an assignment” and she checked through the news channels and saw a story that was done on the BBC. I smiled because I knew the team that went for that assignment and then I called them and got the number of the coach. The next day was supposed to be a session where we would go out to take pictures and I called the coach and said I would like to be at the next training – she usually trains every day. She’s just 16, but she’s very passionate about the sport. I still maintain contact with her; she won one of her competitions recently.

Benedicte showed me the story and it was all I needed; it was the right story that I wanted to express and use for the competition. It was a story of strength and I called it “Punching Above Weight”. She’s a boxer, so when you’re punching above weight, you’re trying to step up from your situation and you’re doing what you’re least expected to do, which is exactly Cynthia’s story. You would expect a young girl from her kind of background to not do well, but she’s doing well and she’s building up on her passion. That’s just a story that I think every young person should emulate because where you are shouldn’t determine what you would be. It was a really good experience for me and I am honoured to have captured her moments in training. I want to improve on the project and do more work with her.

Speaking of life experiences what is the best advice you have received as a photographer?

Stop photoshopping! The best advice I have gotten from my work is… I won’t say it’s an advice, but it’s kind of motivating, because sometimes when you feel like quitting people tell you to keep at it, to keep doing what you do and you will get better.

And what’s your own advice for aspiring photographers?

Don’t come into photography for the money, because in 3 years it would break you and you’d find something else to do. Just come for the passion because photography is tasking; imagine doing a job and you lose the external drive or card of someone’s big event or a wedding that would leave you so stressed. Passion is key, you must really love to take pictures, you must really love to tell stories before you come into photography and when you come into photography, don’t buy so much equipment.

Have you participated in any exhibitions?

I haven’t done any, but if anyone wants to sponsor I’m available.

Among all your images which one is your favourite? Many artists claim not to have a favourite, but…

I’m a huge critic of my work. When people are gushing over my work, I wonder what they see.

There must be one you look at and pat yourself on the back…

[Laughs] None of the images; everything is there for people to appreciate. I love them all equally.

What are you currently working on and what should we expect from you in the nearest future?

I am working on a few ideas that I want to shoot; to visit some communities that I want to shoot. I want to do something more on our waterways – not Makoko – more of fishing communities and Agric. For the future, I expect to keep doing this because it’s a passion.

If you weren’t a photographer, what else would you be?

A lawyer.

Why?

I can carry people’s matter on my head. If I wasn’t a photographer, maybe I would go into cooking and also be a lawyer. I would be a chef. Cooking is art too. I will definitely be in the arts.

*Grace Ekpu’s works can be found on her Instagram page @graceekpu