Photographing elderly people always leaves me with a moment of reflection. I consider living up to 70 years in Nigeria a victory. I think it's a victory because it is tough to survive here(in Nigeria). It feels like everything that exists here is trying to kill you. Furthermore, I reflect on and imagine myself in my old age. Would I get to 70? If I did, what would I look like? Would I be a grumpy or chilled grandpa to my grandkids? So many questions flood my mind during sessions with elderly people.
The same was my experience while photographing Mr. Joel. His wife had set up a photo session for him(originally against his wish) for his birthday. And while he was reluctant at first, he later turned to enjoying the process. According to him, he felt he didn't look great in photos. So the photos of him that he had were spontaneous photos or the ones he was mandated to take for official purposes. It took only one result from my camera to convince him that he looked amazing in photographs. The session was fun and exciting and I created some of the best photos Mr. Joel will have in his seventies, except they call me for another photoshoot 😉.
Today, I'll be sharing the monochrome variants of the photos from the session with Mr. Joel. It'll serve as my entry for the #monomad challenge. Without further ado, here they are;
Amazing portraits right? As much as I love all of them, my favorite one is the second photograph. I can't explain what I feel about it, but his gait and expression held so many emotions, and that was my aim from the session. So, my mission was accomplished.