It's Day 11 of Let's Talk About It with #30Guetsin30Days on DETAILS! Grab your seats and enjoy the read.
Sooo photography, I think we’d have to go back in time for this one…The year was 2017, I was rounding my JUPEB program in CDL Moro and the realization of what will I do while I wait for my admission to the university hit me, what exactly will I do when I return to Ibadan? Will I just sit at home? Mr.Mayowa Olajide, the Head of Media, advised me to enter the media world because he can see potential in me and that was all I needed. I got back to Ibadan and got in contact with my friend whom I remembered was a photographer, he linked me up with Xtreme Media and since then I have gotten better and better in this space…
At first, I started with just portraits, indoor and outdoor, then my confidence grew, and I ventured into events, then later documentaries and shooting products. Portrvaiture is fun, working with models, makeup artists, and wardrobe managers, basically meeting new other creatives is awesome.
Another expressive type of photography is event photography. I get to tell their story through my lens, capture happy memories, smiles, and tears, and when I deliver the job, seeing them relive these memories is unparalleled. One beautiful thing about product photography is standing as the middle ground between the brand owner and their customers. My task is to translate the products using my lights and camera, making the customer eager to want to patronize the brand. Trust me, it’s exciting.
Also, the freebies that come with shooting products are undaunted, I mean I get to eat the food after the shoot or use the beauty products after the shoot, massive flex! Fast forward to 2020, when Covid was at its peak and everyone was on lockdown, photography had to be paused for the time being. No bookings, no events, just me with my camera. At that point,depression started to creep in and I was bored out of my mind, I had to get something else to do fast. That is where my skincare brand, Jay’s Beauty Organics, was birthed. I sat down and recalibrated my thoughts, what exactly do people need at this time? What will sell? These thoughts were made in the backyard of my father’s house, and I noticed our Moringa tree. Then it hit me, moringa seeds have oil, and moringa leaves also have oil, why not start a brand around that? I took some courses online and I started infusing not just moringa, but carrot, ginger, and baobab. Then I started making soaps too, black organic soaps, and turmeric bars, and production continued even after Covid. I can boldly say I made my first 200k in profit from my skincare brand.
Content development for my skincare brand was somewhat because of my photography foundation and a few online courses helped me become a master in product photography.
It comes with a few cons for a woman as a photographer and running a skincare brand at the side. I must put in extra work when it comes to advertising my products online, and when I prepare for a shoot, I never forget my pepper spray, long jean, and round neck.
Overall, the experience has been awesome, and fun-filled. I get to meet peoplethat I would not have met if not for photography, interact with them, and make them feel comfortable when they are in front of my lens. I also feel fulfilled when I solve people’s skincare issues, proffering solutions give me a lot of joy. Inasmuch as I started skincare out of passion and photography out of love to capture moments, money too must be made.
Both crafts need a lot of funds for maintenance and sustainability, especially when it comes to taking online courses and getting better gadgets.
Finally, a lot of people think all there is to photography is just clicking the shutter. There’s pre-production, where I develop the mood board, set up lights, and run test shoots and there’s post-production, which includes editing and color grading, due process needs to be respected. The same process, although more rigorous, is applicable to my skincare brand. I love what I do and I will pick it over and over again!!!
Follow me on Instagram @ drerin.shot.it and jays.beauty.organics