This is the fifth installment of our weekly photo series, featuring the work of African photographers.
This week, we feature the work from OkayAfrica contributor and prolific creative, Amarachi Nwosu.
Nwosu gives us images from the editorial shot on location in Nigeria, Formless, where she hopes to reshape norms pertaining gender roles and also the mainstream idea of African culture and design through imagery.
In collaboration with stylist Daniel Obasi featuring designs from Orange Culture, Iamsigo, Gozel Green and Maxive, Nwosu and Obasi want Flawless to show the beauty of African culture and connect with a diverse audience.
I had Nwosu comment on her creative process with this editorial, because she just drops gems for days:
"Fashion photography is very unique because it is a genre that really allows you to have control over the direction and overall vision behind images. Unlike my photojournalism work, my fashion based shoots tend to involve a team of people, so it's really important to work with people who understand the direction and bring something unique to the table. I chose to work with Daniel because his projects always tell a unique story and his styling blurs gender lines, which I feel is very unique to see in Nigeria.I had put together mood boards weeks in advance because I really wanted their body movement to evoke emotion and tell a story. Luckily, the models already had a great sense of movement and they were able to bring it alive exactly how I envisioned.
We also wanted to choose a natural location with a minimal backdrop to bring more attention to the details of the clothing and silhouettes. The one element that I stressed to Daniel prior to the shoot was use of color. I want color to be a common theme in my work because I love the way it contrast and brings attention to an image. For me, color makes people, environments and details come alive.
Overall, it was an amazing team that was able to make this editorial what it was. From the make up to styling to models, we were able to build off of one another and elevate the imagery.
Take a look at Flawless below:
Credits
Photographer: Amarachi Nwosu (@amaraworldwide)
Stylist: Daniel Obasi (@Iamdasidy)
Makeup Artist: Kemi Awoemi (@j0rdanna)
Male Model: Chima Boluwatife of MSA Models (@justifiedchima)
Female Model: Ifeoma Nwobu (@ifeoma_nwobu)