In an alternate reality, Oshai gazes intently at a computer screen, bathed in the sterile glow of fluorescent lights. The content of his work is irrelevant; what matters is the trappings of success that surround him. He’s a vision of corporate conformity: crisp white shirt, Windsor-knotted tie, barking orders at eager young subordinates while a svelte secretary hovers nearby—the very picture of success his father always imagined for him. But reality has a way of defying expectations. Michael Oshai did not follow that prescribed path. Instead, he stepped behind the lens and into a world of creative possibilities, wagering everything on his vision and instincts as a celebrity photographer and creative director. It’s a gamble that paid off, proving that, sometimes, the perfect life is the one you dare to create for yourself.
In the beginning, he had no real interest in shooting people for a living. He had a simple desire: a cool Instagram feed. It helped that he was blessed with the ability to absorb skills from those around him. iPhone photography had just started gaining popularity in Nigeria, and so Oshai would take striking images of his friends with an iPhone, his flair for curating igniting a passion for visual storytelling and social media. His years at Babcock and UNILAG were spent interning as a social media manager for Beth Models, one of the largest modeling agencies in Africa, cultivating a robust network he would later need, and taking unofficial Instagram photos. Ironically, it was in the rigid confines of Lagos Law School that his creativity truly blossomed.
It’s 2019, and Oshai is at his breaking point. After transferring from the University of Lagos, where he was getting a law diploma to Babcock University, he’d just about had enough. Having chosen to study law because that’s what art students in secondary school typically study, he wanted to be over and done with it. Unbeknownst to Oshai, fate had other plans, waiting for him to chisel away the excesses and discover his true calling. On what began as a day of lighthearted banter with friends, his world tilted on its axis. Law school results arrived, bearing the news of yet another failure. But in a twist, just three minutes later, an email invitation to a Canon photography training in Ikeja entered his inbox. He wants to find something else, so he tells his parents that he is going to pursue photography, a decision that costs him his allowance but also earns him his famed career. Oshai’s sojourn into photography wasn’t born of a grand vision or lifelong passion. Instead, it emerged from a place of fatigue—exhaustion with his parent’s expectations and the need for a new direction.
Born in Chicago, Oshai had always been a force of nature. As the first son and second of five children, he naturally assumed the role of problem-solver, mediating conflicts and offering solutions easily. His childhood was a whirlwind of parties, music videos, dance, and friendships—everything but photography. It wasn’t until university that he first picked up a camera; however, every moment of his life seemed to have nudged him toward this path. Already, Oshai was an iPhone photographer who enjoyed taking pictures for his Instagram feed, but he never quite considered it an actual job. The epiphany came at a party in 2019, a few weeks after seeing his law school results. There, he met the popular Nigerian fashion icon Denola Grey. Grey, who has garnered solid credits in Nollywood (The Black Book, The Bling Lagosians, Castle & Castle) was one of the ambassadors for Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty. Already, Oshai had built the groundwork with his meticulously curated Instagram feed and iPhone photography skills. Photography had always lingered in the periphery of his life, a constant but unacknowledged presence.
“Are you a photographer?” Grey asked, his eyes lingering on Oshai’s impressive digital portfolio.
It was a simple question, yet it would haunt Oshai for months. Even after Grey commissioned him for a photo shoot and proudly shared the tagged images, he struggled with embracing the ‘photographer’ title. Later, the answer to Grey’s question would dawn on him during his work with Arise Fashion Week. But it was his assignment for Essence Magazine—eight full pages devoted to Lagos Fashion Week—in the same year that truly shattered his hesitation to embrace the title. When the check arrived from Essence, $2,000 (nearly a million naira in 2019), the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. At that moment, as he stared at the tangible proof of his talent and potential, Oshai finally had his answer. The question which had once filled him with doubt now brought a smile to his face.
“Are you a photographer?”
Yes, he was. And he was only just getting started.
Fate, it seemed, had a flair for the dramatic. Enter Tokyo James, a British-Nigerian fashion designer whose chance encounter with Oshai would prove transformative. Their partnership blossomed rapidly. Oshai had reconciled with full-time photography, but it was James who offered him a semblance of structure. Soon, Oshai found himself attending London and Paris Fashion Week, his camera an extension of his being as he captured Tokyo’s latest style creations. Tokyo wasn’t just a mentor; he was an alchemist, distilling Oshai’s raw talent into a golden opportunity. He instilled in him the drive to push beyond his comfort zone. “Never be satisfied,” Tokyo would often say, his words becoming Oshai’s mantra. And so, he worked. He climbed. And when he reached what seemed like a peak, he found new mountains to conquer.
Four years later, Oshai is at the epicenter of music’s most prestigious night. He isn’t just another face in the crowd at the Grammys. He’s there with a purpose, tasked with capturing history—the inaugural Best African Music Performance category of 2024, featuring stars like the South African pop sensation Tyla, and Afrobeats powerhouses Asake, Davido, and Ayra Starr. The significance isn’t lost on him; he’s the first photographer to be granted the honor of shooting every nominee in this all-new category. But he wasn’t always an Afrobeats photographer. Before pivoting, he dabbled in fashion photography, shooting fashion stars on the runway with Tokyo James beside him. In 2022, when Oshai was visiting Los Angeles, he got offered $5000 for a two-day gig, and naturally, his interest was piqued, so he decided to make the move from Lagos to L.A., shifting his focus to shooting higher-paying clients: in other words, celebrities.
Oshai first met Ayra Starr in L.A., but it wasn’t until last December that their paths truly crossed behind the scenes of a shoot orchestrated by Amazon Prime in Ayra Starr’s home in Lagos. She loved the pictures, and like every other client Oshai had met, they bonded, and he became her go-to photographer and creative director. When Ayra talked about a music video for Commas, he was all over it immediately. He credits his creative process to visions materializing in his mind’s eye and he spends his time bringing these ethereal concepts into reality. For him, creation is as natural and essential as breathing. One of his more memorable works is the cover for Burna Boy’s sixth album, Love Damini. The opportunity came out of the blue, a direct message from Burna’s sister, Ronami, on Instagram. For Oshai, music videos are moving pictures so he doesn’t have to assume separate personas while shooting a cover or directing a music video. Yet, he has more love for creative directing. As he has journeyed through his career, he has encountered peers weighed down by the industry’s demands—lamenting lost social lives or the endless wait for demanding clients. Now, at thirty, Oshai finds himself drawn more and more to the world of creative directing, refusing to join the general exhaustion of his peers.
“Music videos are more fun,” he says with a grin.
Michael Oshai, the quiet, gentle photographer, struggles with anxiety and self-doubt like many artists. But when the moment demands, he becomes Mikey Oshai—his confident and unwavering alter-ego. He holds a deep belief in the power of love and human connection. However, at this point in his life, he’s shifted his focus from romantic relationships to nurturing platonic bonds. In the past, his world revolved around romantic partnerships, but now he finds fulfillment and solace in the strength of his friendships. He views these platonic connections as enduring and believes they form the bedrock of a rich life. This shift doesn’t mean he’s closed off to romance entirely. When the time is right, he’s open to marriage. His perspective on love is profound yet simple: to him, it encompasses everything good in life. Much like his approach to work, he has a clear vision of what he wants—and perhaps more importantly, what he doesn’t want—in his relationships.
In his downtime, Oshai finds solace in the simple pleasures of life. He savors good food, listens to Ayra Starr, and loses himself in fashion documentaries and reality TV. His gaze is perpetually set on the horizon. The past—that metaphorical darkroom where he once fumbled for direction—holds no allure for him. He’s a forward thinker, always seeking the next challenge, the next opportunity to push his artistic boundaries.
In an alternate reality, one where his creative spark never ignited, Oshai muses that he might have found his calling in public relations or as a news presenter. But the traditional office life his father envisioned? That was never in the cards. The Mikey Oshai the world has come to know could never be confined within an office wall, his spirit too restless, his vision too expansive.
