MEET ECHA THE TALENTED FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO BRING IMAGES TO LIFE WITH JUST HER CAMERA LENS

By Kemi Mobuse - Thursday, November 22, 2018

What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.

– Karl Lagerfeld

I met Echa when I had to do a bridal shoot in collaboration with some amazing and talented ladies and I badly needed a photographer because the shoot had to happen before independence day.

I was not very happy with the way I looked on my wedding day and I wanted a do over😆 and thankfully, I had beautiful souls who wanted to help me look my very best. I sent her a Dm after going through her profile and we clicked immediately. She was very approachable and was willing to listen to all my crazy ideas 😃...... trust me,I had so many of them, hehe!.

She offered us the use of her studio for free for the day and on our first meeting, she hugged me like she had known me for years, and the shoot?????? It went sooooo well that I even managed to convince myself, I'll make an excellent model.😀😀😀.

Echa is an extremely talented photographer and my interview with her makes for an interesting read. Excerpts below........

KMB: Can you kindly introduce yourself?

Echa Photography: I’m Ekamma Obodoechi by name but you can call me Echa pronounced as Eka. I’m the second of 5 kids. I’ve always been an art lover…I love drawing and creating things although, I’ve never been to an art school😁.

I live and work in Lagos; I am the Creative Director of “Photography by ECHA” which is a commercial photography studio located in Lagos Nigeria.

KMB: So I know that you’ve been interested in photography from an early age, but when did you decide that you wanted to pursue it as a profession? Or even the realization that you could?

Echa Photography: The moment I noticed people valued what I was doing and were willing to pay for it. There's an indescribable feeling when that happens.

I've had the opportunity to be personally trained by two of the best photographers in the Industry. One is US trained portrait photographer Mr Demola Martins and the other Mrs Yetunde Babaeko German trained product and advertising photographer.

KMB: You attended college right? Did you actually study photography or something else? What did you find useful in obtaining a college education that has contributed to your success? Or was college immaterial to your growth as a photographer?

Echa Photography: Well… what I studied is not too far from what I'm doing now. I majored in advertising and promotions management back in school and this has contributed a lot to my photography career.

It kind of gives me an insight into what my clients want their consumers to see when their product is being photographed.

KMB: Now for my favorite part: the Images😀… It’s very clear that you have a signature style. Discuss what you feel this style is and more importantly what about it resonates with you so much?

Echa Photography: This question has many parts to it lol... My style simply put is light and shadows. I like when an image has a bit of contrast

KMB: On the whole, it appears you prefer color, but you have a solid amount of B&W images in your portfolio as well. How do you feel about color and how do you feel about black and white? When do you decide to choose one over the other?

Echa Photography: I don't think I decide when a picture should be coloured or black and white. Most of the time, the image decides. Some images speak to you😉 and from there you know how best to interprete the outcome.

KMB: The majority of your work is also in studio. Why is this? Is this due to the type of subjects you shoot (ie. primarily celebrities), or is this a style preference? Would you love to go more on location if you could?

Echa Photography: I actually really love the studio. It's easy to manipulate it into whatever I want the final image to look like plus I can easily control the source of light. Shooting on location is fun, I have done a few shoots on location which I really enjoyed, it’s just that most times some locations are not easily accessible. Before you shoot, you need to get good security, consider passerby interference, settle touts (agberos) and all that...whew! By the time you are done...lol...

KMB: While we’re on the subject of celebrities, what is the most rewarding part about shooting famous people and what is the most annoying?

Echa Photography: Hahaaha! This is so unfair. The most rewarding part should be the visibility it gives... Most annoying...hmm I don't want to mention... Bhet you know... 🤣🤣🤣

KMB: You are really funny and fun to work with. This was very much in evident when I had my photo-shoot with you, where exactly does comedy fit into your work?

Echa Photography: Lol.. Really... I'll take this as a compliment. I think I've always been a funny and goofy person...but because I'm such a reserved person many people don't know this except my close friends and family .. Truth is; most of the time i don't even know what I did or said is funny🙈 I just get carried away...but I have noticed it calms my clients before the shoot... Or while the shoot is ongoing.

KMB: Do you see yourself as a photographer or as an artist that has chosen photography as your medium? Why do you feel one way or the other?

Echa Photography: I see myself as an artist who has chosen photography as a medium. I shoot products and portraits mostly. There is a way I want the world to see what I'm seeing.

KMB: Do you do a lot of personal work? What would you say your ratio is

paid to personal?

Echa Photography: I do a few personal jobs...As much as we know photography is an art... when you commercialize it, it becomes a service. .. My ratio between paid to personal hmm …..I think 70-30 as the case maybe...like what I tell most of my interns everything doesn't boil down to cash... In the business of photography the job that doesn't pay you today might introduce you to a bigger client tomorrow...it has happened to me several times… So I know.

KMB: What project(s) are you currently working on?

Echa Photography: Right now, I’m preparing for my first public tutorial. It's a one day crash course on photography, where I will teach students the basics of photography and composition. And we have a special guest in the house who will give free consultation on how to turn our craft to cash... If most creatives are like me, {more concerned about our work and how the final product should come out, that we tend to forget to put a price on it}. So on that day, in addition to learning photography, students will also learn how to put a price on their craft.