Rachel Seidu's images captures what she sees round her
Rachel Seidu's first introduction to photography took place at her local church when she was approximately 16 years old. They wanted volunteers to take photos, but the training was minimal. "We were trained to click the shutter, only we didn't learn to understand the camera or anything," she says. "But I've since told all my friends that I'm a photographer."
When Seidu started university in 2018, she used her cell phone to take photos and started learning more about composition and lighting. That was the case until she was able to afford her first camera last summer. Now Seidu creates images that require more than a simple shutter release.
Existing II. All pictures: Rachel Seidu
Seidu, based in Lagos, Nigeria, has steadily expanded her portfolio, photographing people she knows, people she meets, and has worked on various areas of work and assignments. "I would describe my style of photography as visual storytelling. For me, it's always about sharing what I see around me," she says.
"I like to read stories and because I don't like to write now, I'm glad that photography is a medium with which I can tell stories. My work is inspired by my surroundings, the people around me, my own story and many emotions. "
There are beautiful rhythms among us
Untitled, Lagos
People are her favorite subject, and she flits back and forth between tight faces and full body shots. "I really enjoy taking photos of people who are doing what they love to do, people who are people," she says. "Very simple portraits of normal people doing normal things, playing games, dancing, talking to friends, happy, sad, everything."
Seidu often plays with light and shadow in a way that gives her images elegance and strength. She also experiments with color, but sometimes avoids it entirely, believing it can affect the feel of an image too much, and opts for black and white instead. "I think black and white is the best technique ever because nothing affects how you feel about the picture," she explains. "It's all about the emotions that exist. It's raw, it's powerful."
Existing II
Chuboy
At the beginning of this year, Seidu's work was selected for the exhibition Young Contemporaries 2021 as part of the Rele Arts Foundation in the Rele Gallery in Lagos. The space was established to act as a “critical interface between the African and international art world”. The Young Contemporaries platform aims to partner with each selected artist and provide them with resources and mentoring to help them progress.
Seidu presented her series Existing II, in which “social constructs of gender and sexuality beyond homogeneous representations of being” are called into question. The images show intimate, golden-lit portraits that undermine masculinity and explore the expression of gender in a society that, according to Siedu, is increasingly religious and oppressive.
Alinonu Eguasa Chibuzor
It was the first time Seidu exhibited her work to an audience, and right now she's just enjoying every experience as it comes. "I'm still an amateur photographer so I'm still growing in the industry," she says. "Whatever challenges I'm going through, I think it's part of the process that will eventually lead me to bigger things. I just enjoy the process."
Regarding the process, Seidu says the way she approaches her work day in and day out is very spontaneous and she will follow the ideas when they come to her. “When I feel like creating something, I just meet a friend or use one of my little siblings as a role model,” she says. "Sometimes I carry my camera and just walk around."
Existing II
However, when she's working on a particular series, Seidu is much more methodical, often writing down the concept and footage that might help tell the story while also jotting down the outfits, colors, and props needed. "After that, I spend days thinking about it a lot and then writing down the emotions that I hope are in the picture and how I feel at the moment because I believe my emotions are affecting my work too" she explains.
“Then I think of the place, I always tend to places with a lot of green, because I believe that this contributes to the naturalness of my work. If while taking pictures I don't feel like the things I wrote down are being fulfilled, I don't go through the shoot and reschedule it for another time. "
Oluwaloni
Untitled
It is clear that taking pictures is an emotional experience for Seidu and she is motivated by her real love for photography. While she is just getting started, she is excited to see how her work will develop over the next few years.
"I hope my pictures make people feel like this is very important to me," she says. "I don't just want to make ordinary lifeless pictures, but also timeless pictures."
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@rachelseidu