Aisha Ife Carves Her Own Space In The World Of Photography

In the state of Lagos Nigeria, photographers aren’t hard to come by. In fact, anyone with a good enough smartphone can lay claim to the title of photographer. In that same sphere, an overwhelming number of photographers are male. So much is the disparity that female photographers are sidelined or their voices overshadowed by their male counterparts. Aisha Ife saw this and was dissatisfied , she wanted a community of female photographers and what did she do? She created it.

RadrAfrica caught up with the talented photographer, Aisha Ife to talk about what got her started and other topics surrounding her work.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself, just a short bio

I’m a Portrait and Product Photographer based in Lagos, Nigeria. I love books, art and plants, I’m also a hobbyist illustrator.

Cool, when did you start photography?

Officially, 2018 but I started paying attention to it in 2017.

I wrote about my journey here on my medium page.

You’re also passionate about creating female spaces within your craft. Can you tell me a bit about that?

So starting out, I realised I barely knew other young female photographers. The only female photographers I knew were the more established ones and they’re still not a large number.

I had a problem with it because it just felt wrong ?.

So intentionally set out to look for female photographers and I eventually founded Tiwa. Tiwa wasn’t a “thing” in the beginning because we didn’t even have a name. It was just a community of young female photographers to learn and grow together.

Over the years, I’ve felt more strongly about the visibility of female photographers. In a majorly male dominated industry, there’s already a disadvantage and for some reason, people just don’t know female photographers as much as they know male photographers and it has nothing to do with the quality of their work.

With my illustrations, I’m a woman and stories about women are the ones I relate to most because it’s my experience and the experience of so many other women. And if we don’t tell our stories, who will? ??‍♀️

We’ll always be able to tell it better, provide more context and nuance.

What is your favorite subject to photograph?

Things that make me feel in general. And beautiful things.

For you, what differentiates an average photograph from an excellent one?

For portraits, I think how well it captures the essence of the person and the emotions the image makes you feel.

How would you describe your photography style?

Warm and happy.

What is the most rewarding part of being a photographer for you?

Creating beauty. Bringing my ideas to life and seeing them as good as I imagined them and even better.Also with portraits, I love it when I really capture people, like who they really are, I love it when they see images of themselves and love it, I also love the moments during shoots when people get comfortable and at ease.

Thank you so much for speaking with me.

You’re welcome.

Collection- Melanin & Colours- Contrasts

Model- @_bamyy

Makeup: @ot.loba

Styling & Outfit: @seamstresslagos

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