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[ginikachi]

illusion of grandeur

no one might tell you this, but every attempt at grandiose is a waste of time perspective is only a version of reality, don’t get caught up in it simplicity is not a disease, why run from it? cut it out, cut the crap feed the soul, not just the eyes.

—

photographed: dec. 2018       model: amaka       brand: thrift projects

[ginikachi]

defiance

i’ll tell you honestly, that this was an attempt at visually representing resistance from an unwilling heart in response to a society that tends to dictate rules for existing in a world that isn’t theirs.

she knows who she is. who do you think you are?

—

photographed: feb. 2017       model: dina 

[ginikachi]

the sun and the sea

a designer based in london comes back home.

a motely crew of local talent set up by the sea, as the familiar presence of area boys threathen to ruin the show. bribery,the obvious price. and compliance, brings peace. our shoot begins.

the sun finds favor with us. the sea compliments. and the pieces dance to the rhythm of the wind.

upclose and from a distance scenes are framed, and photographs are made our shoot concludes.

—

photographed: nov. 2016       model: amaka       styling: henry       brand: taboka mazura

[ginikachi]

lagos rendezvous

a band of four women assemble at a family house cradled on a quiet street in the busiest district of the metropolis.

one of them, the muse. another, the maker. the other two, serving to make the idea a reality.

the message was this:

spirited soul, she choses to shine, to stand out beauty beside brave.

—

photographed: may. 2018       model: fola       styling: akudo       direction: gina       brand: shekudo

[ginikachi]

taking lagos island

we dared to roam the streets at the center of the city, in the middle of the day.

wearing tatase, our model looked gracious, oblivious to the stares that others might have found unsettling.

at some point along the way, we politely hijacked a tricycle -or keke as lagosians call it- and the woman in tatase hopped in for a ride.

we carried on till the sun set and everyone, through the lens, looked like nothing but a blur.

—

photographed: dec. 2016       model: adun       brand: tatase  

[ginikachi]

on looking

looking requires conscious effort, because everyday we miss things that lie in plain sight. it’s a practice in mindfulness, it’s paying attention it’s noticing the things that exist, acknowledging them and deliberately trying to consider different perspectives

[ginikachi]

adornments ii 

—

photographed: nov. 2018       model: tomiwa       brand: thrift projects

[ginikachi]

art x portraits

there are some things you plan and anticipate, others? they simply come as some form of revelation...you act on impulse, with pure intentions, and no reservations.

you allow yourself to happen. peace can be found in this process.

in the midst of chaos, i asked some people to pause. with surprising willingness, they complied.

—

photographed: nov. 2016 at art x lagos       featuring: onyeka, glory, idris, emmanuelle, nneka, justine

[ginikachi]

rat race

perfection is not the goal. to pause is necessary. to breathe is essential. you deserve a break. slow down. exhale. inhale. don't look without seeing. don't be there without being. don't just take, also give. fight fear, find friends. take your time, but not for granted.

—

photographed: nov. 2018        models: amarachi, amaka       brand: thrift projects

[ginikachi]

adornments 

—

photographed: nov. 2018       brand: thrift projects

[ginikachi]

shifting perspective

there was a time when being a runway photographer meant pitching your tent in the best spot you could find at the press pit, weilding a lens possibly twice the size of your camera while vying for the perfect shot and also trying to avoid the heads and limbs that often got in the way.

it meant you shot full length and close up, with the models dead center of your frame.

this was the way i was groomed and the only way i had witnessed the drama on the runway.

then one day, i missed my spot in the pit and was forced to sit on the sidelines. the lighting was different, models glided between a sea of heads and the angles were compelling.

i couldn’t resist.

—

photographed: oct. 2014, 2015, 2016  at lagos fashion week

[ginikachi]

colors of kano

during the durbar festival, troops of young women flock the Emir’s palace to greet their grandmothers.

adorned in vivid prints that surpass the colors of the rainbow, their painted faces serve as a testament to the artists that lie within

like free flowing traffic, they race in and out of the chambers pausing only for a moment to take off their shoes and then put them back on

in good spirits, they contest for their turn in front of the camera... some alone, others with their gang of siblings.

—

photographed: jun. 2018       courtsey, alara

[ginikachi]

chase the sun

—

photographed: jun. 2018       models: sammy, anita       styling: henry uduku       brand: henri uduku

[ginikachi]

priviledged spectator

to be backstage at fashion week is to witness the making of moments often perceived as perfect, to bear testimony to the madness and the chaos, to appreciate the beauty in the mundane.

—

photographed: oct. 2016