Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmanuel Okene.
Hi Emmanuel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hi! My name Emmanuel Okene, I am 17 years old based in Richmond, Texas. I’ve always had an interest for visual arts and stuff that has to do with cameras ever since I was at a young age, but never had the opportunity to tap into that creative side because I never owned a camera. In my sophomore year of high school, I was enrolled into a newspaper class which had to do with writing, interviewing and somewhat photography. In that class, my teacher had cameras that we could rent out to use to take pictures of whoever we were interviewing and I really enjoyed it. It was not up until December when my mother was surprised with a brand new camera for Christmas.
I was so excited to have my own personal camera, but I never used it at all. In April, when the pandemic hit and we were enforced to quarantine in our homes, I finally decided to pick up my camera and put it to use. I took pictures for fun for my cousin’s birthday and decided to post it on Instagram, and it blew up in a day. That’s when I realized that this is something I genuinely want to do and enjoy. Ever since then, I’ve been working. I’ve grown to have a great love for photography and visual arts. I recently just got my work published in two magazines in the month of April 2021, and this is something that I never thought would happen to me. I am very passionate about what I do. As a photographer, my goal is to execute my client’s vision! The pandemic was like a blessing in disguise for me, if it never happened, my camera would still be sitting inside of the box. This business wouldn’t have been established if it wasn’t for my mom planting a seed and investing in me. It has been a very long journey, but I know that there’s more greatness to come.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road wasn’t smooth. My business had a very slow start due to the fact that I wasn’t getting any bookings. It got to a point where I was rethinking about if this was something I wanted to continue to do until I remembered that I got into photography because it’s something I loved to do and not just for the money. The road soon started getting smoother.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a Photographer, I’m most proud of my improvement with the quality of my work. Even though I’ve been doing this for a year, my work is high quality. There’s always room for improvements. I’m also very proud of my working being published in two magazines in one month. I feel like what sets me from others is my age. Most of the creatives I look up to are very older than me but looking at their work and my work, and seeing that I’m on the right path, is a great feeling.
Contact Info:
- Email: emantheog@gmail.com
- Website: www.eophotography.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emantheog/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/emantheeog/
