The 54th – Hey how are you doing? Tell us a bit about your background, your name, where you are from, where you grew up?
Scott – Hello, thank you for having me. My name is Scott Nwaeze, I’m a photographer based here in Abuja. I was born in Taiwan and I lived there for six years before moving back to Nigeria. I’ve spent majority of my life here in Abuja.
The 54th – When was the first time you picked up a camera?
Scott – So I can’t really recall the first time I picked up a camera. I guess I have always been around them since I was a kid, from the little film cameras way back then to the modern cameras now.
The 54th – What would you say was that moment where you went “God I love photography so much, I want to do it, I want to learn it”
Scott – Since I was a child, I loved movies and writing stories and I guess that sort of evolved into being interested in filmmaking. That was when I really got interested in the mechanics of cameras and shooting both videos and taking pictures. It was during the covid lockdown – we were stuck at home for so long, I feel like everyone learned a new skill during that period. I definitely did and that was when I really became interested in photography/ filmmaking.
The 54th – How would you characterize your niche in photography?
Scott – So at first when I started taking pictures I was really shy to take pictures of people’s faces because I was scared they would see me taking their pictures. That’s why if you look at my early works, its usually people backing the camera or just the environment really. But the more you shoot the more confident you get and I started getting more comfortable with people looking at my camera up until the point where I just straight up do portrait photography now. I would say my niche is creative portraits, that is what I am doing right now but I do love street photography and architecture as well.
The 54th – Were you self taught or you learnt under someone?
Scott – I didn’t necessarily learn under someone in terms of mentorship. I have a lot of friends in this industry and my elder brother is a photographer as well so I have just sort of always been around photographers and content creators in general. My close friend is a photographer as well and he was the one who really taught me how to edit in terms of using Lightroom and Photoshop. You naturally just pick up skills just by being around people when they are doing a shoot and I think that’s how I’ve picked up most of my skills. With the help of YouTube of course.
The 54th – You make use of colors…a lot when styling your models, what inspires it or rather where do you get your inspiration from?
Scott – I like colours in my pictures. I think this sort of stems back from when I still did street and environmental photography. I just really liked making colours pop and it has now translated into my portraits as well. I want each picture to have a different colour grade.
The 54th – I see you have a page on instagram where you take pictures of buildings, really amazing pictures by the way, where did the love for that come from?
Scott – When I first started really taking pictures, it was of buildings. I was in Turkey and Taiwan that period and there was just so many beautiful buildings in terms of design and shapes and colors. And I didn’t really need planning to shoot buildings. All I needed to do was go out with my camera and find nice buildings to take pictures of. Architecture photography really taught me how to colour grade pictures and as you can see, its translated into my portraits today.
The 54th – Does music have an important role to play when you are shooting? Does it help in getting your models to show the emotions you are looking for?
Scott – Music for me is more important for the model than it is to me. It allows them to get in a certain mood, get loose and feel confident for the shoot. I listen to music more when I edit. It kind of puts me in the headspace for me to be able to edit really well.
The 54th – Do you ever criticize your own work?
Scott – I do criticise my own work and I have also been opportune to have a group of friends who I can call to give an external criticism on my work. Although people say you are your own best critic but its always nice to have people point out things I may not have noticed.
The 54th – To achieve your tones and color grading, when taking the pictures do you temper with the lighting so when editing you would be able to achieve your desired grading?
Scott – I don’t have a specific lighting technique. I know people always want to hear other photographer’s tricks to perfect lighting but what I would say is to just experiment on your own and play with the light to see what best suits you. It could be natural light or artificial light, what matters the most is that you like the picture you take so you can make it better after the editing.
The 54th – What does your work as a photographer try to explore?
Scott – I don’t think my work explores any style, it is usually what I see on the internet that I like and I would love to recreate. I think of pictures more from the creative angle as opposed to the storytelling angle where the picture has to mean something or say something. I just want my pictures to look creative and nice.
The 54th – What do you do to make your clients feel comfortable being in front of the camera?
Scott – Usually the best way to make them feel comfortable is to make them smile, make them laugh. That way they loosen up and will make them more confident for the picture. If they see that you are a friendly guy, always encouraging them and whining them, they will be very happy to do the instructions you have for them. Also show them a few pictures after so they can see what they are doing is working.
The 54th – How are you carving out your own path in the creative industry? How do you ensure to be different and to be able to stand out?
Scott – I try to stand out by mixing a lot of colours into my pictures. Combining both natural light and artificial light photographs. I don’t want all my pictures to look the same or feel the same. I like to use colour to stand out.
The 54th – What skill do you want to improve on as a photographer?
Scott – I feel as a photographer you are never the finished product. You should always be looking for ways to improve your work. One area I would like to improve on is my editing in terms of retouching and skin work.
The 54th – When you started, what was your first camera/gear? Did you start big or did you start small then you gradually climbed the ladder?
Scott – I first started with my phone. I feel like everyone sort of started off with their phones before moving on. At first I moved on to a digital camera with a kit lens. As my pictures became more and more daring I realised I needed more than just a kit lens. I own both a digital and film camera. I really like the way film pictures look and because of the limit to the roll of film it really teaches you how not to waste a shot and to make every shot count.
The 54th – As a creative and photographer, are there any other photographer you would love to work with?
Scott – I have a lot of inspirations, both photography and videography wise. It would be a very long list for me to list out every single one of them but to name a few I really take inspiration from a photographer called Emmet Sparling. Funny enough he’s not a portrait photographer but I just love the way his pictures look and how he engages with his audience.
The 54th – What obstacles do you face as a photographer in your country?
Scott – Sometimes it can be frustrating being a photographer in Nigeria. Obstacles such as insecurity and also having to pay money to shoot in certain locations can be quite discouraging sometimes. But despite that we still find our way around it and it’s only made us better in terms of adapting and using what we have available.
The 54th – Everyday there’s a new trend and technology, how do you ensure that you stay in the trend? Do you try to keep up with it? Or you try to stay away from trends?
Scott – I try to keep up with trends but I don’t usually follow trends. If you do what everyone else is doing, your work isn’t going to stand out because hundreds of people before you have done it.
The 54th – Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to start out as a photographer or creative?
Scott – My advice would be to just shoot. It doesn’t matter what camera you use, whether you have a professional camera or you have your phone. At the end of the day its the picture that comes out that matters not the equipment you use. Try and find your own style. I know its very easy to say “oh this person’s work is great I want my pictures to look like that” and that’s fine but you should always add your own touch to it. Photography/ videography is very practical, the only way you can learn is by picking up a camera and shooting.
The 54th 