In an increasingly digital world, the importance of music photography and videography cannot be overstated. In fact, some would argue that not enough is even said about the creative minds behind the artistic visuals we so readily enjoy! As a musical artist, getting the attention of your listeners is crucial. The music itself will probably go a long way in doing that, but you also want to make a good visual impression. High quality imagery and cvs canvas prints not only ensure that your music and performances live on in the minds of the audience, but also shows that you’re taking the whole experience of your listeners into consideration.
For the listeners, well, interviews can sometimes be a little misleading (or the artists don’t really share too much about themselves). Expert photography/videography gives us a glimpse of the stars in their more open, human, and natural states. While you can get a general impression of who an artist or band is through their music, great photography can paint more than a thousand words and make a musical performance come to life again and again! Nowadays, no artist worth their salt goes on tour without ensuring that everything goes according to plan — and is properly documented all the way.
Here are 4 Nigerian photographers and creatives based in the United States who are chronicling the epic moments of Nigerian stars while they tour and make history:
Previous Clients: Wizkid, Fireboy DML, Olamide
Starting off the list with a bang, we have photographer, videographer, and creative Director, Nelson Egharevba. The passionate young Nigerian started out as a student at the Canadian University Dubai where he studied Network Engineering while simultaneously dabbling in videography. Describing himself as mostly self-taught, Nelson soon began shooting short films, creating impressive visuals for a number of brand projects, and working on a handful of music videos, attracting considerable attention to his creative potential and obvious talent.
By 2019, Nelson had already worked with the likes of Ice Prince Zamani, and Davido and even directed and edited the accompanying visuals for BlaqJerzee’s hit collaboration with Wizkid titled Arizona which was released in 2020. These days, the Atlanta-based creative works hard to capture both the vibrant and intimate moments of many popular Nigerian stars like Burna Boy, Olamide, and Wizkid while on tour in the United States. His impressive catalog also includes Ladipoe’s recent tour in March as well as capturing the behind-the-scenes moments during Fireboy DML’s very first US tour earlier this year. Always ready to learn, experiment, and take his craft up a notch, Nelson’s growth over the years has been a real pleasure to watch.
Previous Clients: Wizkid, DJ Tunez, Davido, DJ Buka, Ashanti, Wale
Born Oliver Akinfeleye, DrDrummerD is a New York-based Photographer and creative. One of the first words that come to mind when you see Drummer’s work is “clean” and a quick glance through his portfolio proves that his ability to tell visual stories and capture crisp, powerful shots is worth commending. Working on everything from album covers to fashion editorials to music tours, DrummerD’s work has opened up numerous doors for him, giving him the opportunity to work closely with international stars like Nigerian-American rapper, Wale, and popular R&B singer, Ashanti, amongst others. In January of 2017, he worked with DJ Tunez, the first major Nigerian artist he photographed live and has since gone on a number of world tours and shows for some of the biggest Nigerian Musicians of our time including Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, and Tems during the AfroCarnival last year.
Priding himself on his ability to “capture the ‘unseen’ angle”, DrDrummerD has a knack for capturing candid shots and the unique movement patterns of each star as well as the mood of the audience, preferring to use low light quality and stage lighting which gives viewers a more realistic feel of the show. Committed to bringing his dreams and visions to life, DrDrummerD is playing his part in capturing Nigeria’s current and upcoming talent.
Previous Clients: Joeboy, Omah Lay
Originally from Lagos, Nigeria Babatunde Williams Peters is a gifted portrait and fashion photographer, currently based in New York City. Since beginning his photography journey, Tunde has worked for big-name publications and clients including Galore Magazine, Top 100 Magazine, AudioMack, MTV Base West, My Beautiful Africa, and CFDA — all of which started when his mother gifted him a camera that sparked his now raging passion for photography. Praised for his attention to detail and emotive shots, Tunde’s work often comes in bright, beautiful bursts of oranges, reds, blues, and browns, evidence of his creative flair and obvious eye for color.
Asides recently holding a successful exhibition entitled “For Your Eyes Only” in New York, which put his vivid photography on display, Tunde has also been shooting stars like Omah Lay (New York, 2021); Wizkid x Tems (Los Angeles, 2021); Ayra Starr (NYC, 2022) and even caught Joeboy and BNXN in Atlanta this month. As one of many young Nigerians making us proud, it’s clear for all to see that Tunde is steady on the rise.
Previous Clients: Tems, Show Dem Camp, Mayorkun
As one of the creative minds behind Wizkid and Tems’ Essence video, Roderick Ejuetami, better known as DeedsArt, is not new to the photography game, and with more than 43,000 followers on Instagram alone, it’s obvious the photographer/creative director is not here to play. The somewhat mysterious photographer has carved out a niche for himself as one of the most popular photographers of Nigeria’s ever-growing Afrobeats and Alté subsectors/genres. As the stars and the music culture continue to thrive, Deeds weaves spellbinding tales from behind the lens, giving us a close-up view of the packed concerts, the laughter, and chemistry between artists hanging out backstage, and the rare pictures of our favorite artists (ShowDem Camp, Tems, Mayorkun, Tiwa Savage — and the list goes on and on) that we don’t often get to see. There’s a lot of heart that goes into and jumps out of these snaps, as the photographer has a way of bringing the subjects into focus so that they really and seem close enough to touch.
In his own special way, Deeds is memorializing Nigerian artistry and bringing it right to our fingertips — for generations to come.