October 26, 2011

Reminder!!!!
Amateur Photography Competition submission deadline 10th November, 2011
"This is Lagos"

Kindly forward your submissions to Tunde at 
Tunde.a@africanartists.org













Photo By:  Jide Odukoya





Attention!  




LagosPhoto Fashion Photography Exhibition previously scheduled for October 30th has been postponed till further notice.
  

Many Thanks To Etisalat And All Whom Attended The LagosPhoto Photo-Walk!

For those of you who participated please make a selection of 5-10 photos to submit illustrating the theme "Lazy Lagos" and email them to medina.d@africanartists.org.  

Stay tuned for workshop dates where we will all meet to review and critique the selections.  


October 19, 2011

Workshop Update

Attention, Attention!!!  LagosPhoto Workshop UPDATE:  Kelechi Amadi-Obi to lead workshop on fashion photography tomorrow, Thursday 20th October at 1 o'clock in the Crystal Suites Eko Hotel VI.  You may bring your portfolios for review.  Look forward to seeing you there!







October 18, 2011

LagosPhoto Party in the Park

In October 2011, the Muri Okunola Park in Victoria Island, Lagos is all about photography. 150 large printed photo's of 41 internationally acclaimed photographer were exhibited in the open air. This year’s LagosPhoto theme: “What’s Next Africa? -The Hidden Stories” aims to use the power of photography to represent the hidden stories on the continent as opposed to the over represented, sensationalised, dramatic images on Africa popular across the globe.

Other outdoor exhibitions, besides the Muri Okunola park:
- Falomo underpas,s Ikoyi,
- MKO Abiola park Ketu, Ikeja,
- Professor Ayodele Awojobi Park,
- University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba.

Don't miss it.

Here's an impression of the Party in the Park in photo's.

LagosPhoto Workshop Update

Additional details regarding this week's LagosPhoto workshop to be announced tomorrow.

Lagos Photo PhotoWalk 2011

Calling on all amateur and professional photographers!
The ongoing Lagos Photo Festival has been a success from the onset of the grand opening, workshops and lately, the party in the park. Next on the program is the PhotoWalk this weekend.
The PhotoWalk will hold on Sunday, 23rd of October, 2011...take off point from African Artists Foundation HQ, 54 Raymond Njoku Street, off Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos and take off time is 11:00am.
Please note; Space is limited to admit only 30 photographers.
If you are interested, send your contact details before Thursday to jadeg_b@yahoo.com

October 13, 2011

Please note Friday (today's) workshop has been rescheduled for next week!


Be sure to come to the LagosPhoto Party in the Park this Sat + Sun, Muri Okunola Park.
Musical concert by General Pype, Shank, Somimusic, Sha, Mtrill, Tarri and many more.  Free give-aways and the chance to win the latest ipad & a weekend break to Le Meridien Ibom!








October 11, 2011

LagosPhoto Festival Workshop Schedule

This is the schedule for the ongoing Lagos Photo Festival Portfolio Reviews and Workshops for professional and amateur photographers holding at the Emerald suites in EKO HOTEL. Please take note of the dates and times so you won't miss a thing!

Monday 10th, October ~ 11:00am - 5:00pm Portfolio Reviews

Tuesday 11th, October ~ 11:00am - 5:00pm Portfolio Reviews

Wednesday 12th, October ~ 11:00am Discussion by:  Carlos Cazaliz
                                                                    "Mega Cities"
                                             4:00pm Discussion by Alfredo D'Amato 
                                           "Getting access in places to shoot a photo essay"

Thursday 13th, October ~ 11:00am Workshop/Discussion by: Peter Dicampo
                                                           "Media Images of Africa"
                                          4:00pm Discussion by: Joseph Penney
                                                           "Race in African Photography"

Friday 14th, October ~ 4:00pm Workshop/Discussion by: Chantal & Judith
                                                  1. Workshop 'Slow Journalism' or
                                                  2. Workshop 'Poetic Journalism'


Arthur Kisitu: My grandfather's history


Ugandan photographer and designer Arthur Kisitu has his own studio in Kampala. It is a place of creativity, innovative designs and a place where people meet. He is fascinated by lighting. His presence in Lagos is connected to the work of Dutch photographer Andrea Stultiens, whom he met in Kampala. She wanted to document Ugandan history. Arthur told her about his grandfather who had build his own personal very visual archive. This became the basis of 'The Kaddu Wassa Archive’, which is a wonderful visual biography of Kaddu Wasswa, and in a sense a biography of common people in Uganda over the last 40 years. Wasswa - Arthur's grandfather - is a man who played an important role in his community as a teacher and social worker. The archive now travels the world. At the moment, Arthur works, among others, in slums in Kampala together with local residents on photography projects.

Alfredo D'amato: Pushing limits in Angola


Alfredo D'amato resides in Italy. His work at the LagosPhoto festival is part of a series about Luanda, Angola. The Luanda series is part of a series he made about ex-Portugese colonies. "Angola to me, was super intense. It made me realize I had capacities I never knew I had. Luanda is a city originally built for five hundred thousand citizens and nowadays it is home to five million people. There is a lot of pollution, I got sick, it is the most expensive city in the world, the divide between rich and poor is extreme, there is hardly any electricity and people were aggressive towards the camera. Man, it was extreme in almost every way. But to be honest, I like to be pushed to the extreme. Because also on the same hand, the music is wonderful and you see people working hard to survice. It was a great experience.'

October 10, 2011

Lagos Photo festival : Party in the Park



Party in the Park!Fun Fun Fun!!!
The saying goes, "all work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl!" What other way can one unwind and relieve stress of the week than to appreciate the serenity of the environment with family and friends? This weekend, one of the many events on our list "Party in the Park" will hold! This is the event is expected to have over 1,500 guests in attendance. The outdoor event will have lots of attractions which include; Live music concert, Photography maze, Food Affair, Kids play corner, Cooking demonstrations, Wine tasting, and the big one, a Raffle Draw and lots more giveaways  (iPad, Blackberry, weekend break for 2 at Le Meridien Ibom Resort).
The concert schedule:
Saturday 15th October: General Pype | Shank  | Benny P | M'Trill | Lil'M (to perform live)
Sunday 16th October: Jazz musician Somi  | Tarri  | Sha (to perform live)


Venue: Muri Okunola Park, V/I
Time: 12noon - 6:00pm
Ticket pricing: 
N3000 - Standard entry to event
N5000 - VIP entry to event, food sampling, entry to prize draw
N11,000 - Standard entry for family of 4 to event
N15,000 - Silver entry for family of 4 event, food sampling, entry to prize draw
N10,000 - VVIP , food sampling, entry to prize draw, VIP sponsored tent, goody bags.

Get your tickets at the following addresses:
*  Bogobiri House, 9 Maitama Sule (Off Awolowo Rd)
*  African Artists’ Foundation 54 Raymond Njoku St (Off Awolowo Rd)
*  DealDey.com, UTC 37 Awolowo Rd
*  TerraKulture on Tiamiyu Savage
*  Quintessence (Awolowo Rd)

Don't miss this great time to chill with family, friends, staff/crew of Lagos Photo Festival and of course the 41 LP photographers! Come one, come all as we reclaim public spaces
ces

Portfolio review


On monday all participating photographers came together to review the works of other photographers. It was very inspiring to everybody. Some amazing talents like Barbara Minishi, D'Mayo, Martin Kharumwa and among others, showed their work.  There were interesting discussions about framing, killing your darlings, lighting, but also on identity, social issues and who you want to be as an artist. Obviously there also was a lot of discussions among the professional photographers about what was interesting and what was not. Put three photographers together and it is quite likely they disagree after 5 minutes :). That said, the general atmosphere was very optimistic and people were truly inspiring and helping each other.

Emeka Ebeniro: Closer to Lagos



Emeka Ebeniro is a young photographer from Nigeria. Besides working in an advertising agency, he loves his work as a documentary photographer, especially in Lagos. His series is about an enormous fire in Lagos. 30 houses got burned and luckily nobody died. The houses were made of wood. The work got the attention of the African Artist' Foundation. Last year he participated in workshops as a course and he took the bold step to dedicate his time more to documentary photography. "I am very proud my work got selected. I am learning a lot here. The work of the other photographers is inspiring. I want to invest more in my documentary work. There is still so much to do.'

Peter DiCampo: Life without Lights



The work of Peter DiCampo is situated in a dark corner of the exhibition. The work shows photo's of people living in the dark. Visitors need lights to see the photo's. The photo's are part of a enormous project called Life Without Lights, where Peter examines energy poverty, the causes and the solutions in many different countries
'It is wonderful to be here. I have had many conversations about the photo's with visitor. And I think that looking at the photo's using the lights gives it a new dimension, it is a great effect. People told me that they now had the feeling of being me, the photographer taking the photo's. People also told me they didn't realize that there are so many people living without electricity and that the impact is so big. In general it is great to be here and interact with the audience and the other photographers.'

October 9, 2011

Portfolio Reviews, Workshops and Discussions

Now the the Lagos Photo Festival is in full drive, it's on the next one on our program and that is Portfolio Reviews, Workshops and Discussions with the best of the best. If you are an aspiring artist or a pro in the art, here's a chance to share ideas and thoughts.
Date: 10-14 Ocotber
Venue: Eko Hotel and Suites (Emerald Suites)
Time: 11am... (check program guide for other times)

See you there!

High Spirits at the Grand Opening of LagosPhoto Festival 2011


With most photographers present and under enormous attention of the Lagos public, the second LagosPhoto Festival kicked off at the Eko Hotels and Suites on Saturday October 8th.

You find an impression of the opening here

The event attracted a lot attention from the media. Here is an impression.

Glenna Gordon: Elderly in Freetown



Photographer Glenna Gordon splits her time between West-Africa and New York. At the LagosPhoto Festival, her work about the elderly in the Eastern part of  Freetown, Sierra Leone is shown.
'I think a lot of photo stories from Africa are very positive or negative. Reality is never like that. I tried to capture a range of moments and emotions while I spent time in the elderly homes. Both sad, happy, proud, curious or intimate. Normal emotions.  You see, most of the elderly living there are lonely. Their children often died during the civil war and in Liberia, your children take care of you when you are old. In a way they are opposites of orphans. But it isn' all sad. The elderly are keepers of culture, they have stories about the time before the war, they are the people who remember.I tried to captured all these nuances.'

October 8, 2011

Grand Opening Countdown



Just a few hours to go and LagosPhoto festival will open it's doors and you can see the wok of 41 photographers from all over the world. Please check out this blog for continuous updates and short interviews with some of the photographers.

Interview with creative director Marc Prüst here.

Photo's of the work in progress here

Tom Saater: Abuja from the sky



Tom Saater is a young photograher based in Abuja, Nigeria. ‘I am very excited to be here. The African Artis’ Foundation had a call for photographers to send in their work. The best ones are selected and offered space in the Festival. And now here I am.’
The work Tom shows is made during the fiftieth anniversary of Nigeria. This gave him the opportunity to travel in a balloon and documented what was happening. ‘We do not have many balloons in Nigeria, so it was pretty exciting. It does give a new perspective I believe.  You can fly incredibly low and very quietly.’
Tom is a documentary photographer interested in social issues. Clients vary from local newspapers to Africa Report, USAid and Time Out. At the moment he is working on a series about the French Cultural Centre. He is also part of the  Invisible Boarders project which gives him the opportunity to travel with a group of Nigerian, Sudanese and Ethiopian photographers from Nigeria to Ethiopia.

Chantal Heijnen: Unknown but autonomous Somaliland



Very few people have heard of Somaliland. Officially still part of Somalia, Somaliland declared itself an independent democratic republic on May 18, 1991, and has been building its nation ever since.
Photographer Chantal Heijenen travelled the region and documented the Somaliland people who are building the democratic institutions.
Chantal Heijnen: ‘The great thing is that Somaliland is relatively stable and quiet. There is a lack of all kinds of things, but it moves slowly forward, ironically without any significant help from the outside world. The UN for instance has not officially recognized Somaliland, so there is no help from their part. I made a series of the people who are in gouvernement, justice, police or eductation. The ones that are building the country.
What was very nice, was that the Somaliland newspaper ‘Jamhuuriya’ published my photographs twice a week from December 10 – February 21, 2011. A total of 20 publications that symbolizes the 20th anniversary of Somaliland. I have the original copies of these newspapers and they are used for a book. The newspapers are here during this event as well.’

Nana Kofi Acquah: Water no get enemy


Nana Kofi Acquah is a photographer from Ghana. His work varies from documentary work to fashion shows and advertising. Besides that he writes poetry on his blog. In November his work of ‘slaughter boys’ in a slum area in Accra will be shown in the Bamako Photo Biennale.
For Lagos Photo, he is showing his work, “water no get enemy”-on postcards. ‘I decided to show beautiful postcard-like images here, all related to water. When you think of water, you already start thinking about polluted water or scarcity. That is all true, but I wanted to show beautiful, lovely photo of water because they may not stay that beautiful for too long. We are losing our water bodies.  Water is like postcards, they are both dying. I have photos of pollution and so, in black and white. I did not want to show that, many people have already seen that. So it all looks nice, but you know that something else is happening too.’

Giulia Marchi: China in Benin


Photographer Giulia Marchi studied Chinese. She was raised in a classical manner, studying greek and latin, but what really fascinated her were people living in other cultures and speaking completely other languages. So she lived in Benin, looking after Chinese people, to tell their stories. Some of the work is being published in an Italian newspaper. ‘It is not too easy to find them and get access to the Chinese community. It takes a lot of time. And then it differs if they are open or not. I spoke with a 32 year ol CEO of a company who told me he was lonely at times and that he had nobody to talk to. He liked the Benin people, but it was also hard for him to communicate. I also met a Chinese woman who married a man from Benin, they had 2 daughters and she really wanted to tell her story.'

Misa Irodia: Work in progress



Misa Irodia is born in Madagascar and lives in Senegal. It is his first exhibition. Besides being a photographer he also works for the Madagascar government. ‘The photography is the artistic part in me. I am happy to be here, I see it as a first major step.'  The work he is exposing is called ‘Men at work: Work in Progress, Work for progress.’ He took his pictures close to his work, being fascinated by the enormous number of people working in construction. ‘The speed of development is enormous. But on the same hand, when electricity goes off, which happens a lot in Dakar, sometimes 8 or 12 hours, the country seems to come to a stand still. Very strange to see. Electricity is a common thing you would think.’

October 7, 2011

Joe Penney: What is true?



Joe Penney is a photographer from New York. In spring 2011 he covered the elections for Reuters and spent three months in Nigeria. Besides trying to give a reflection of what happened during election time, he worked on personal projects as well. Some of this work is featured at the LagosPhoto festival.

What is your series about?
'It is about the difference of what I see and what Nigerians see. It is about what people want to show and what they are hiding. And how this can be different from person to person and from culture to culture. It is also about myself, traveling in a country that is at times shockingly poor and very difficult to understand.
I made portraits of woman dressing up and going to church. They live in Lagos and live a harsh life. They do their utmost best of showing themselves in pictures in a nice way. Therefore they pay people to photoshop the images and for instance remove the background or the house where they live and replace it by images they like: a chique hotel or a blurred background.
I as a western photographer would never do that, I want to show their reality. But what if they prefer a photoshopped reality. Does that make it less real? I want to show what I perceive to be their reality.'

All hands on deck for Lagos Photo Festival

Teamwork is essential to the growth and success of any organization, company and of course projects. At LagosPhoto, our watchword is "teamwork" and the product of this you the public will judge when at the Grand opening this Saturday 8th, 2011, and throughout the month long event. Curious to see our work in progress?



Here's what we are doing in pictures on our Flickr account.

Take a sneak peek at all the work that is going on to make this year's Lagos Photo Festival a huge success.

Time out with Caline Chagoury

Eko Hotels and Suites is one of the main sponsors of the LagosPhoto festival. Already now for the second time in a row. We got time to have a one-on-one session with Caline Chagoury, Corporate Affairs Manager of Eko Hotelss and Suites. This is what she had to say;
"This festival is very important for us. Nigeria and Lagos are perceived in a particular way; a way that is not correct to reality as many Nigerians perceive it. Photography can change perceptions and this is how we contribute to that. Not that we don’t want any negative stories to be told. Not at all. It is just that there is so much more to tell than the war, corruption and hunger kind of stories. My favorite things about this exhibition is that there are so many different kinds of people coming together. People from all layers of society, people from many different countries. There is a lot of interaction. And it is not just the indoor exhibition. The photos are being showed in parks and public spaces and generate a lot of discussion. Photos can do that - they provoke, they move, they make you curious. I love all that. Lagos is really moving forward. It is an emerging place. Tell me that is not a good place and time to hold a photo festival"




October 6, 2011

New grounds for Nigerian photo festival ~ Interview with Marc Prüst

Dutchman Marc Prüst is the creative director of the Lagos Photo festival. Together with the African Artists’ foundation he selects the photographers and puts the final image selection together. The construction of the exhibition is his responsibility. ‘Photography as an art form has an enormous potential in Africa. This is what Marc had to say in a Q & A session about the Lagos Photo project...enjoy!



October 3, 2011

Lagos Photo Amamteur Photography Competition

Calling on all amateur photographers to this year's Lagos Photo Amateur Photography Competition. Do you have a camera? Do you have the passion? Do you have the skill? Here's your chance to take part in 2nd edition of the Lagos Photo Festival Amateur Photography Competition. Scroll down for more details...
How to Participate: 

Lagos Photo 2011 PROGRAM GUIDE

The countdown is on to the grand opening of the Lagos Photo Festival, 2011 and as such, we would like to keep everyone in the know ALL the events that will hold during the festival. Below is the break down and guide to the events; this should enable you know the events' place and times so you won't miss out. Spread the word and let us make this year's Lagos Photo Festival a huge success.

PROGRAM GUIDE 
LagosPhoto Grand Exhibition
8 October 
6:00pm Grand Opening Ceremony

Main Exhibition Hall, Escalator Entrance
Eko Hotel & Suites
~ 8 October | LagosPhoto Tribute Ocean View Room
9:30pm The late Tim Hetherington, Chris Hondros and Femi
Abolade (All of whom had worked in Nigeria) Ocean View
Room (Buses departing from Escalator Entrance)