How TY Bello’s Vision Influenced and Inspired a Generation Of Photographers
In an era where social media has given everyone the opportunity to produce stunning pictures and be called a photographer, the World Photography Day, which is marked on the 19 August, presents an opportunity for us to celebrate the veterans whose visions paved the way for the fast growth of the photography industry in the country. Toyin Bello, aka TY Bello, an artist who taught many of us how to see beauty in everyone with every shot she has produced, is one of such names.
“Every human being has this gift, but it’s a privilege to do this every day as a job. Being aware of this virtue, that I can make something out of nothing and that there is always a new perspective has been a beautiful experience. I’ve always used my ability to create to show people just how beautiful they really are.” she says.
TY would first cross our path as a member of the now-defunct gospel band KUSH. “Music has always been a part of me. I started writing songs since I was ten years old. I guess the year that I started taking my music seriously was pretty much the same year that I went to beauty school. It’s interesting how all the different parts of my creative life came together all at the same time when I was 15 years old.”
KUSH gained popularity in the early 2000s with the single “Let’s Live Together”; before its members eventually went their separate ways.
“KUSH was an amazing part of my life and musical journey. The friendships that I forged with Lara George and Emem Ema are very precious to me. I believe that we were very fortunate to have made beautiful music and explored the way we did. Life eventually called us in different directions, but I’ll always be grateful for the incredible years we spent working together. Following this, TY became a solo singer, with her first debut solo album titled Greenland becoming an instant hit, earning her multiple prestigious awards. She explained that Greenland describes her every day journey into life. Over time TY’s love for creativity would eventually move music to the back burner letting photography take its place but not completely. Perhaps one of the most notable photographers of our time, she influenced a whole generation of creatives who would eventually take to photography as a thriving career as opposed to a mere hobby using her famous THISDAY Style cover visuals as a template. “The photography industry has beautifully bloomed in the last 10 years. It was a very lonely path when I started, and it was very hard, for instance, to find other female photographers or even photographers my age. Now there’s a massive army of talented, young photographers coming out of Nigeria, producing incredible work. What’s more amazing now is that with social media, everyone has a platform to show their work to a wider audience. This is really exciting.”
Bello’s contribution to the creative art industry has not gone unnoticed, as she has several awards and accolades to show for it, right from the early years of her career. Her distinct work and photography style, which cut across different dimensions like portrait photography and documentaries, has made her a favourite amongst top politicians and influential personalities. It is worthy of mention that she was not only an official photographer to the former president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, during his reign but has also had the opportunity to photograph three sitting presidents in the country. Not many would forget how her lens turned Olajumoke, the bread seller, into a super model’. She discovered her on the streets of Lagos while working on a THISDAY Style photo session with Tinnie Tempah, a Nigerian-British rapper, and the rest, as they say, is history.
One to always lend her voice to a social cause that she believes in, TY was one of the celebrities featured in an eight-minute anti-rape video documentary by the Nigerian Ministry of Youth Development. The anti-rape video shed light on the victim of a gang rape at Abia State University in 2011. She also partnered with Canon for the ‘Live for the Story’ campaign in early 2018. The campaign was a call for everyday Nigerians to tell their personal stories on what makes Nigeria unique.
Bello’s works have taught us to visualize things without being so obvious, especially things we should be sceptical about. Through her, we have learnt that the simplest photograph might carry the most significant meaning. “I’ve had so many amazing moments in my life and work as a photographer. When I was a much younger photographer, I probably would have told you about getting awards and international recognition, but now, it’s clear to me that that my best moments are when I get feedback from people; either people I’ve photographed or people who have come in contact with my work and they tell me how the work has influenced and blessed them in some way. For me, these are my best moments, and they keep me going.’’
Perhaps one of the most notable photographers of our time, she influenced a whole generation of creatives who would eventually take to photography as a thriving career as opposed to a mere hobby using her famous THISDAY Style cover visuals as a template.