Creative Pick!: 5 Questions for Yaro Elisha (On Location: Nigeria)

31 Jul Creative Pick!: 5 Questions for Yaro Elisha (On Location: Nigeria)

From July 9th-19th, I traveled to Nigeria for the first time as an adult. While in Nigeria, I hopped a plane from Lagos to Abuja for a two-day “look-see”. As a capital city, Abuja was much more of a suburb compared to the bustle of Lagos.  I thought it might be a little too subdued, but a chance meeting up with a few Creatives proved otherwise. Meet Yaro Elisha an Abuja-based photographer and videographer. We sat down together and chatted. Check out how he answered my five questions, and a peek at some of his work.

Risikat Okedeyi: How long have you been a photographer? Videographer?
Yaro Elisha: I have been a photographer for about five years. I just got into videography this January, but it has been my life-long dream to do videos since I was a kid.

RO: What do you look for in a subject?
YE: Freedom of expression, people could be timid when in front of a camera, even professionals.

RO: From a photographer’s perspective, do you think there is a Nigerian aesthetic? If not, why?
YE: Sadly No! Its not that we don’t have one, it’s more like it is not encouraged. Nigerians are very western in entertainment and lifestyle, its gonna take a lot to break out.

RO: What is your favorite piece of equipment?
YE: My Canon 60d. It has been with me through thick and thin. Whereever I go, she goes. It is just natural; a love between man and machine.

RO: Black and white or color?
YE: Black and white. Black and white photography is endless. It gives me a sense of being lost in time. For me, a black and white photo reflects across any span of time.