Richard Beland

Title: Sottu in Lagos, Nigeria

About the Photo:

My friend, Óluwá tí Según (Sottu) is a photographer and one of the founders of Africa’s largest photography conference, The Now Collectives. I was a guest speaker at the conference and gave a presentation on maintaining a career in photography. Sottu was understandably absorbed with being a vibrant host and an extraordinary convenor. Despite his preoccupation with the event, I did not want to leave Lagos without making a series of portraits of him. Alas, my persistence paid off and I feel this particular photo framed up a rare moment of Sottu enjoying some quiet contemplation.