For Gbuyi Osunsanya of Wagbayi Photography, photography is about highlighting the beauty that flows through our lives and within our shared humanity. A person, to Gbuyi, is made up of many different aspects of themselves, personalities that they show and share in different circumstances.
In one moment, a person might be a wife or a mother, a husband or a father, while to someone else, they are a son, a daughter, a sibling or a friend. It is all these aspects he wishes to document through his photographs, capturing the beauty and whole story of what makes up an individual.
We walk through life constantly changing, learning, growing, and celebrating different moments as we go. But what about the moments we don’t show? This is something Gbuyi wishes more people felt comfortable documenting, the moments that aren’t always easy to share, alongside the ones we celebrate.
Through his photography, he hopes to capture not only the stories of the people he photographs, but also something they can look back on and recognise in themselves. Often, as human beings, we tend to want to present a curated version of ourselves to the outside world, whether that means posting only our best photos on social media or taking photographs to celebrate the happiest moments of our lives.
Gbuyi wants to challenge that idea, encouraging people to document whatever brings joy, whether that’s a quiet moment on the couch watching their favourite tv show, a day spent hiking, or something as seemingly small as finally getting a brand-new pair of limited-edition sneakers after waiting in line for hours. For Gbuyi, these moments are all worth remembering and celebrating, and while we might not recognise their significance at the time, they all become part of the stories we tell about ourselves as we grow older.
The person we are today won’t necessarily always be the person we are in say five or ten years’ time, and having photographs to look back on allows us to revisit and appreciate these different versions of ourselves that lead us to who we currently are today, or to who we will become in future.
This philosophy also shapes the way Gbuyi approaches portrait photography. He shares with me that many of the people who come to him already have an idea in their heads of how they want to look in front of the camera, whether they’re celebrating an engagement, a wedding, a birthday or another milestone.
But getting the right photograph isn’t always about achieving the perfect image straight away. Gbuyi likes to begin with a client’s least favourite outfit, allowing them to ease into the process without the pressure of getting everything right from the beginning.
He often encourages his clients to show up, even if they aren’t feeling 100 per cent that day, sharing with me that he often shows his clients the entire process, allowing them to see images as they’re being taken, rather than being surprised by the end result.
Working this way, Gbuyi feels he allows his clients anxieties to fall away, helping build confidence and even share ideas of poses with him. Rather than trying to fit themselves into the image they initially imagined, they start to recognise themselves in the photographs being created.
It’s this process that Gbuyi loves about his work, the ability to show people photographs of themselves that they might not otherwise have had. Seeing someone look at an image he has taken, and finding immediate joy, and happiness is what inspired him to pursue photography even from childhood.
During this time he became fascinated with the idea of having a camera of his own, a hobby that was solely for himself and after waiting for months, he finally received his first camera; mentioning it was a gift from his father while he recovered in hospital from typhoid fever.
He said he fondly remembers the excitement he first felt upon taking photos, even if his first roll of film didn’t go quite as planned after winding it back into the camera, his first attempt at photography ending abruptly.
However, the experience left an everlasting impression on him and though photography wasn’t always a constant in Gbuyi’s life, he found that even after stepping away from it for a time, he found himself returning to the camera during university, looking for an outlet alongside the demands of his studies.
And what began as a way to unwind became something much more important. Today, he describes his photography as a form of therapy, something that brings him joy, balance, and a sense of calm. For Gbuyi, there is so much left to explore, whether he’s photographing people, landscapes or architecture, he continues to look for new ways of seeing the world and capturing the things that make it beautiful.
He hopes that his photographs can leave something behind, a record of the people he has met, the lives they have lived, and the moments that might have otherwise been forgotten.
The overall impression that Gbuyi left me with is that all people should try to seek their own way of seeing, viewing, and appreciating the world around them. Though as human beings, we are always seeking the next big achievement, or comparing ourselves to other people’s successes, he stresses the importance of finding the beauty, joy, and happiness in where we are, who we are, and slowing down to appreciate all things that make up our lives.
I think that is a message that can resonate with all of us.
Words: Mathieu Egges-Bradley
Images: Wagbayi Photography