‘I hope it gives a sense of joy’: Mayowa Lawal’s best phone picture
The photographer Mayowa Lawal has lived in Lagos, Nigeria, most of his life. It’s a place he describes as highly influential on his creativity, but he wonders whether his environment has placed some limitations on what, or more specifically who, he captures.
“I’ve always found it difficult to have women in front of my lens, which I strongly desired. My home is a male-dominated space, and I tend to feel awkward in social settings where that could be a possibility,” he says.
The woman in this photo, Folasade, is a friend of a friend. Lawal later named the series, which he created using an iPhone 12 Pro, after her. He saw the shoot as “an opportunity to depict my perception of femininity”: he explains that he regards women as deserving respect and care, while also representing “brilliance and royalty”.
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The image came together through a mixture of meticulous planning and spontaneity. Before the shoot, Lawal collected flowers from his parents’ garden to create the carpet of fallen rose petals, depicting “fragility, a constant reminder of life’s impermanence”. By contrast, decisions on Folasade’s clothing and accessories were guided by eye and intuition.
“Creating always gives me a sense of satisfaction and of hope,” Lawal adds. “I want my audience to be able to have their own perception of my art, to interpret it in their own unique way, but I do hope it also gives them the same sense of joy it gives me.”
