Listening to Of Monsters and Man – Little Talks
APH – What’s your name and where are you from? Where did you grow up?
Diamond Concept – “My name is Larry Sule Sadoh, I am from Etsako west LGA Edo state, I grew up in Benin City,Edo State”.
APH – Photography is clearly a big part of your life. What were the steps you took to get you to where you are now in the world of photography?
Diamond Concept – “Some steps i took was getting more familiar with the wisdom of the wise ,the giver of all inspiration itself ‘‘Holy spirit’’ taught me all i know; for example, i learnt diligence from God’s word, the bible also taught me about how to seek for knowledge ,with this i realize the more wisdom i get the bigger i become i started attending workshops, read more books and got better at my craft, because the gift of a man maketh way for him”.
APH – That was really inspiring, it feels like you are a man of God and a photographer at the same time. But tell us how long have you been a doing this photography thing?
Diamond Concept – “More than 15 years now, i actually started photography when i was in my secondary school”.
APH – Did you have it easy when you started?
Diamond Concept – “Hahaha it was never easy, i started from a car park where i maintained and turn into a studio”.
APH – Are you self-taught? Or did you learn under someone? {If you were self-taught, how was the experience? If you learned under someone how was the experience}
Diamond Concept – “I don’t think anyone is self-taught either on YouTube or whatsoever someone created the content you consumed, I didn’t stay under guidance per say, like someone training me then after one year or two i graduated ,no! But i learnt from a lot of persons and took classes every year”.
APH – What niche of photography are you into?
Diamond Concept – “You won’t believe i do a lot of things and I’m good at them, wedding photography, documentary, aerial photography, fashion i can even do spot too hahahaha. But people know me more as a wedding photographer and i choose this more cause it makes me feel fulfilled ,the joy i have in been the reason people smile on their big day, hereby creating unforgettable memories”.
APH – Show us your 5 favorite pictures you have ever taken
Diamond Concept – “I will show you when i create them lol ,if you ask me my best image i will say the next one, cause i try to be better than my yesterday, though i have some images that trended on instablog ,yaba left n all social media platforms”.
APH – How do you come up with such amazing concepts for your photos? Is there a mood you to be in to achieve such a concept?
Diamond Concept – “Most times i have a mood board after relating with my client about what they will be wearing, i also get inspired by other peoples work,movies,cartoon but the real inspiration come when we start shooting, some shot can be taken by mistake and it ends up becoming your best”
APH – Do you think gear matters in photography?
Diamond Concept – “Yes it does, it makes your work easy and it lets you achieve more with lesser time, for example you have a lens with f-stop 2.8 and you finish shooting the image then post production you start trying to blur out the background at times the image comes out to be looking fake. Anyways you can start with what you have and upgrade later when the funds are available”.
APH – What gear did you start with during the genesis of your photography journey ?
Diamond Concept – “Yashika , Zenith; scaring names right ? I have you heard of those names before? hahahaha they were like one of the best when everything was more of manual”.
APH – (laughs) No I haven’t heard those names at all, Yashika sounds Chinese. Where is your studio located or where are you based?
Diamond Concept – 106 airport road, opposite airport exit gate, Benin City, i am based in Benin”.
APH – Do you travel a lot because of work?
Diamond Concept – “Yes i do a lot”
APH – Do you have any influences? By that I mean do you have any artists, photographers, and people etc. that have really made an impact on your work?
Diamond Concept – “So many!”
APH – Do you ever get insecure or not satisfied with a particular shoot?
Diamond Concept – “No i don’t and i don’t allow people make me feel inferior”
APH – Do you have any bad experience or awesome moments you would love to share throughout your years as a photographer?
Diamond Concept – “Yea when i lost my clients wedding photos, my early stage when i wasn’t really experienced, i felt like disappearing but God saved me.
My awesome moment was the first time i got a visa to shoot overseas and also the very first time my images trended all over the world
APH – I would love to see those images. Is there something you really want to achieve in the world of photography?
Diamond Concept – “Yes! To build value, imagine you pay a hype man 500k who will hype for 1 hour and pay photographer 500k, Think”
APH – Do you ever turn down jobs? If Yes, why?
Diamond Concept – “Yes! To some clients that doesn’t know my value”.
APH – So far has it been easy being a photographer in your country?
Diamond Concept – “It’s not been easy for people getting support, i know some persons i trained and still finding it difficult to get capital to buy camera equipment and also the cost of equipments are on the rise”.
APH – Do you have any advice to anyone starting out as a photographer?
Diamond Concept – I don’t care about gear you are using right now ,you can start from where you are
- Be godly be diligent
- Don’t stop learning
- Attend workshops
- Learn to save no matter how small, you can start by reading rich dad poor dad
- Read books outside photography that will also enhance your marketing skills
- Collaborate
- Do personal projects …depends on you niche
The 54th 