Emotions at the Grand Finale of Fashola Photography Foundation Prize

It was a long wait for the winner of the 2018 edition of the Fashola Photography Foundation Prize to be announced. The sensual sounds of the bass player set the stage for suspense. The premises of the Temple Management Company in Victoria Island, Lagos had been transformed generously into a lush view to welcome the children of the Late Alhaji Ademola Fashola including the Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola and wife, Dame Abimbola Fashola.

For the second time, a female photographer has emerged as the winner of the photography competition which was instituted to immortalize the legacy of Late Ademola Fashola who had passion for photography.

The winner, Ebun Akinbo, who incidentally is the only female finalist at the workshop leading to the contest, is a full-time photographer. She edged out nine other contestants to win the top prize of Canon EOS 5D as well as an exclusive exhibition at the Lagos Photo Festival in October. She humbly thanked her other competitors for their support throughout the season which in her words “didn’t feel like a competition.’’

The emotions written on the faces of the other finalists who didn’t get any consolation prize countered the winner’s statement. It was indeed a competition for they were apprehensive and later quite blue when they left the stage without any of the mouth-watering prizes.

The 2Nd runner-up, Oyedeji Fawaz and the 1st runner-up, Nnamezie Asogwu won Apple Mac Book Air and Nikon D7100 respectively. Other finalists at the workshop who were honoured with the certificates of participation include Anthony Onyejesi, Ralph Eluehike, Adedokun Oluwatoyin, Akhenebiri Joshua, Adekunle Bryan, Christopher Nelson and Stephanie Ugwu.

The grand finale came on the heels of a week of free intensive workshop where the salient aspects of photography such as street photography. documentary making, video art and portraiture as well as curatorial and technical skills were taught.

Professional photographers with years of experience and street sense made up the team of facilitators at the workshop. These include Uche Okpa Iroha, Charlotte Langhorst, Adeola Olagunju, Uche James Iroha, Isaac Emokpae and Tam Fiofori. More interventions came from other facilitators such as Emmanuel Oyeleke, Oyinda Fakeye, Abraham Oghobase, Lukman Olaonipekun and Logor Oluwamuyiwa Adeyemi.

At the maiden edition of the Fashola Photography Foundation Competition, the duo of Vivian Nwobi and Kehinde Yusuf emerges as winners. They were honoured with an all-expense paid trip to a month-long training course at the New York Film Academy.