When you’re a photographer, you have a responsibility. And it’s not a responsibility to be taken lightly. Nyancho NwaNri would like to remind us of this.
Being an African woman, photography has become a tool to document and speak up—at least, for Nyancho NwaNri. It’s not just a hobby of picking up a camera and clicking the shutter when she feels it.
“I recognize the privilege of that. And I recognize that it’s a responsibility. It’s not a responsibility to be taken lightly,” says Nyancho NwaNri.
Passion is one thing. Having that more profound understanding of the impact of the images you take is another. NwaNri has been in the industry for seven years now. As a documentarian and educator, there is a different level of depth in her when she talks about photography.
Here’s more of our conversation with Shutterstock contributor and Create Fund winner Nyancho NwaNri.
Shutterstock: To begin, how did it all start?
Nyancho NwaNri: People ask me how I chose photography, and I feel like it’s something that came to me. I don’t want to say, “Oh, photography chose me,” because it sounds a bit cliché, but from a very young age, I took an interest in photography.
My dad had this old camera. It wasn’t working anymore, but I enjoyed playing with it. And then, at some point in my younger teenage years, he bought me a disposable camera. I was still in a band back then and would take pictures of my bandmates.
Just before I graduated from secondary school, I had an auntie (you know how we have aunties that are not actually blood relations) who bought me these disposable cameras again.
Then, when I got to university, I bought this really small point-and-shoot tourist camera. It was blue, I remember. And I figured it was something I wanted to keep doing. Like I wanted to get better at it. And I wanted to make something out of it.
While working, I realized I was bringing other people’s dreams to life. Then I thought, “It’s time to actually start building my own thing.” I loved my job but I didn’t have the fulfillment I feel right now.
So, I think about November-ish 2017, I quit that job, and I was like, “Yes, I’m going to do this full-time.”
SSTK: But it’s not easy to make that decision, or was it easy? Or were there thoughts like, “Is it financially wise? Can I actually make it?”
NwaNri: There were thoughts like that but, at that point for me, nothing was going to stop me. I knew that I was choosing that. I had known from a young age that I always wanted to work for myself.
I knew there would be concerns with, obviously, being freelance is not easy. Some months you get jobs, some months you don’t. Yes, I was aware of that but, at that point, it was something I was fully ready to embrace. There was no going back.
SSTK: It’s different when fulfillment is lacking, right? Versus lacking money?
NwaNri: Yeah. That’s true. I think one is easier to find . . . I guess the money won’t buy the fulfillment. The money cannot replace the fulfillment.
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SSTK: You mentioned you wanted to make something out of it—it being photography. Now, seven years in, what would you say you ended up making?
NwaNri: That’s a good question. Like, what I’ve ended up making of photography? Maybe let me frame it in what I’m most proud of on my journey, and that is getting to where I am now. I’m proud of the fact that I’m able to live life on my own terms.
I know that if I had taken a different route, maybe I would have made a lot more money. Maybe I would’ve gotten a lot more recognition and accolades and all that. But, for me, the fulfillment is really coming from being able to carve my own path.
I’m very conscious of the projects that I put my name to, the kind of topics that I speak about, and my place as a storyteller, especially being one from the African continent.
I think that there’s an onus that falls on us to be sort of like ambassadors of the culture . . . of the continent. There’s been a lot of misrepresentation happening.
Being able to be in this profession and not willing to bend principles or ethics in place of success or recognition, I would say that’s the thing that I’ve made of it that I’m really proud of.
SSTK: I love that response! I am looking at your photos on Shutterstock, and I would love to know the story behind these children doing ballet.
NwaNri: My work background is in documentary photography. I didn’t study photography, so coming into this Shutterstock grant, while I was aware of stock photography, when people talk about stock, everybody thinks of well-manicured images. Like what you said, the pretty ballet studios, perfect lighting, everybody’s teeth are white, there’s not a wrinkle on any shirt, that sort of thing.
I was trying to find the middle ground—how do I bring this documentary and stock photography together? So, instead of setting up situations, I sought real-life stories to immerse myself in. It was about kind of drawing in on my strength, which is finding stories.
I heard about this ballet studio in Lagos. I arranged to go back on another day when they had class. They were preparing for . . . I think it was a performance or a tournament, one of the two.
I let them do their thing. I told them, “Just do what you’re doing.” Generally, I wanted to capture the energy of the class. That’s how it happened.
SSTK: I wanted to bounce back to this topic for a bit. You mentioned you’re an African woman, and I wonder, what does it feel like being a person who has the privilege to document everything about being an African woman? About their culture?
NwaNri: I recognize the privilege in that. And I recognize that it’s a responsibility. It’s not a responsibility to be taken lightly. For me, in my work as an artist, a documentarian, and an educator, integrity and ethics are really the things that anchor me.
I recognize the responsibility to ensure I am representing myself as someone who is part of that group, and the communities, the people, and the culture whose stories I’m telling—that I am representing them in the right way.
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In this line of work, you sometimes get into situations where you might be expected to do things a certain way to fit what’s already out there or what’s trending. I realized it was my responsibility to stand up and say no.
For me, it’s about keeping that responsibility in the forefront of my mind and be like, “Screw the money. It’s not just about the money.” You do the job, you make the money, and you go home, but what impact is that having on the people? What impact is that having on their lives? Their situation? What impact is that having on the community?
No matter how much you want to distance yourself and say, “Oh, I was just doing a job.” But, you knew what you were going into, doing that job. You have to be conscious enough to think about the images you’re capturing.
SSTK: Yes! These are such great insights! Let’s shift gears for a bit. What would you like to say to your younger self?
NwaNri: You have some good questions! Maybe to just keep at it. Keep at it. Like, it’s been a long journey. Also, that I am proud of her because, well, I guess she did keep at it because here I am, right? I guess she did keep at it. And yeah, I would say that I’m proud of her.
There were challenges, but we got through them. We came through, and she was able to retain her integrity and character in an industry where it’s easy to chalk things up to: “I just want to be successful, and I just want to make it,” and then ending up derailing or veering off your path.
But I’m proud of her for sticking to her path no matter what and making sure to stay grounded and stay principled, like, have some soul behind your work, my sister. Thank you for doing that.
NwaNri: One challenge I have faced in the industry is equal pay. As an African creator, I’ve experienced various situations where clients (especially foreign ones) underpay or undercut creatives in this region, refusing to pay the same rates our peers in other countries receive. We’re constantly having to stand up and advocate for ourselves and sometimes even fight to just be paid fairly for the work we do.
Also, being a freelancer is not always easy. Like I said, sometimes you go months without having any jobs, and then you start to think, “Oh, should I just go get another job? How do I guarantee income?” That sort of thing.
You have to be willing to stick that out. You have to be willing to choose this thing, in spite of all those challenges, even when you’re not making money. Let me personalize it, even when I wasn’t making money.
SSTK: You mentioned that among the most important things for you are your ethics and principles. How do you keep those intact in a job and an industry where everyday, it is almost always challenged?
NwaNri: Be conscious about the jobs you take on. I’ve gotten to a point in my career where if I’m not making money that month or for how many months, I would rather stay not having an income than take on certain jobs I know I wouldn’t want to do. Certain stories, I just wouldn’t want to tell.
It’s also about being present while you’re working—to think about the images you’re trying to create. How is it portraying this person? What is it saying about this situation?
On many occasions, I’ve dealt with communities that are on the lower rung of the economic ladder. It’s easy to throw out images that make us go, “Oh my God, look at the suffering.” But, in that moment, this comes back to what you said about privilege. THAT is the privilege. To be in that space where you can shape the narrative.
SSTK: I’d like to wrap this up with a question that encourages us to look forward. What would you say to your future self who will keep facing the challenges you mentioned, or maybe even worse challenges?
NwaNri: Don’t budge. Don’t budge. The challenges are probably not going to stop. You hope they will, but if they don’t, keep on. Don’t budge.
Don’t let these challenges derail you or make you weary. Just don’t budge. Keep doing it.
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