Today we’d like to introduce you to Uchenna Ofobuzo.
Hi Uchenna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Uchenna Ofobuzo. I was born in Nigeria and moved to America when I was three. Growing up my uncle had a camera and always took photos of us. One day the camera broke and we stopped taking family photos. I was very inspired to do photography because of that, I wanted to take photos that I could look back on and have a good story to tell about the memory. It wasn’t until tenth grade though that I started to get serious about photography. Eleventh grade I started shooting my friends and by twelfth grade I joined the yearbook team and learned all the adobe software that will help in my photography such as Indesign, photoshop and illustrator. In college I finally brought my first camera and started shooting models. Over the summer I would intern with studio photographers to learn about lighting since lighting is very important in photography. Eventually, I started shooting models again and even turning friends who didn’t know how to model into models through creative directing. It’s my favorite part of doing photoshoots, turning someone who doesn’t see the vision I see in them into a model. I creatively direct, plan, style, sometimes do makeup and do my shoots myself.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. I did not get my very own camera until my sophomore year in college when I took a gap semester off. My whole life I thought I was going to go to college for architecture because that’s what my dad used to do. I loved architecture. But it wasn’t until getting my own camera and not borrowing all the time from someone else that I realized how strong my passion for photography really was. It wasn’t just a hobby anymore, it was something I really saw myself doing. It was difficult because I didn’t really have support from my parents. All they cared about was education because you know they are immigrant parents. So I went back to school and switched my major to interior design. Switching majors was very hard for me because it set my graduation date back three years. Photography has been with me my whole life, but I’m finally starting to see the rewards of doing it more than just a hobby. But interior design has led me to see that I really am creative, that I see fine details that not your average person can see and that photography really is for me.
Even now I still don’t have the best camera equipment and sometimes I have to rent out a lens or borrow lighting equipment from a friend. But despite all odds, I never let my lack of equipment hold me back. I started photography in the tenth grade and never got my camera until my sophomore year of college. It was my passion that kept me going, I wasn’t going to let my parents or my doubt in myself, or my lack of equipment hold me back.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a photographer and creative director. I take fashion and editorial photos. I am known for my filmy look and my photography portfolio I call the sophomore. The sophomore is something I came up with in my gap semester off as a sophomore. I call it The Sophomore magazine, but it’s more so a portfolio for a book I would eventually love to come out with, showcasing all of the photoshoots that I’ve done. This sets me apart from other people because some photographers do photography for the money. I do it because I genuinely have a passion for it so much so that I see it as art. The way I see photography is if you can’t frame it in your home, why take it ( at least editorial shoots)? So with that mindset, I try and take photos that are art worthy of frame-worthy with the idea in mind that I would eventually start making prints and also a book with my photography.
I am most proud of myself because there were so many roadblocks that would have kept me from doing photography namely not having all the necessary equipment. But I never gave up, even when my dad told me “why do you even like photography, focus on your schoolwork.” I proved him wrong by bringing in A’s and also showing him my latest photoshoots. It showed him that I can balance both. I’m really proud of myself because I dreamt of times like these when my photography would start taking off.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I would like to give advice to all the other girls and boys out there who feel like they have to listen to society and do whatever society wants. If you have a dream or a passion, even if it’s not currently making you money or you are scared about your future in it go for it.
Life is all about the risks. Life is too short for you to say “ maybe when I’m older.” Tomorrow is never promised so you have to start working on your future now. If you want to do something in the arts such as fashion or graphic design or photography go for it. Always have a plan B, yes, but definitely go for it. You can do it. Block out all the noise, and all the distractions and prove everyone wrong that you can make it. It starts now.
Contact Info:
- Website: thesophomore.net
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/photosbyuche?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk=
- Tiktok: @photosbyuche
