Damilola Adetayo is a Portrait Photographer and Owner /Principal Photographer at Domino Images. My journey into the world of photography began in August 2012 after I realized I wanted to quit Banking. And so, the search for what next to do began… 

I have always had the love for Arts and Creativity but I simply could not streamline it to an Art in particular until I watched a documentary/interview on TyBello where she talked about her music career and her journey into photography. I was particularly inspired by this documentary especially when she spoke about why photography should not be seen as only a man’s profession whilst encouraging women to explore and try their hands at photography.

That was the turning point for me and where my inspiration to be a photographer came from and ever since, it’s been a journey of new experiences, development, fun and no regrets. 

WHAT FUELS ME?

Integrity… This has always been a word close to my father’s heart. He exhibited it in his business and in his relationships with people. This he impacted into my life and has also become my own watch word especially having passed through the financial sector, I found Integrity to be paramount to gain trust and maintain good relationships with clients, customers and people generally.

Perseverance… I have had to persevere through many stages in my life, I had to keep to working at it over and over again but at the end, it was always worth it even though it was not an easy process. And now, this has become a part of me and a very helpful quality to have especially as it helps me in my genre of photography (Baby and Child Photography), being able to persevere and be patient with children while photographing them helps me to create and capture memorable moments for my clients.

Passion… Discovering what you are passionate about is very essential especially career wise. I knew something was missing all the while I was in Banking, the enthusiasm was there when I initially started, I enjoyed having to go to work every other day but gradually the job became too monotonous for me and I was not as keen as I used to be. 

I realized I had to quit Banking and find something I loved to do and photography found me.

Now I love and enjoy what I do… yes it can be stressful too but I am fulfilled and that is all that counts.

MY GREATEST INFLUENCE:

My late father, Otunba Paul Adetayo. 

A very hardworking man, diligent in his dealings, very disciplined, a principled man, upright and full of integrity.

We were often at each other’s throats but his influence in my life can never be overemphasized. He was indeed my driving force.

MY TOP THREE ROLE MODELS:

*** Otunba Paul Adetayo- my late Father- who believed that hard work pays and with determination ,focus and dedication, you can achieve what you set your mind to do. This has been a motivating factor to my early independence and has helped me through different stages in my life.

*** Timothy Jones… My ex-boss, truly someone to emulate. He’s an achiever, knowledgeable, intelligent and a supportive man who believes knowledge is key and developing oneself at every point in time is very essential. He sees and brings out the best in the people around him, motivating and helping them grow and succeed amidst limitations. His keen interest in helping me succeed has kept me motivated till date.

*** Kelly Brown– her story and journey into photography is quite inspiring as it not only sheds light on why one has to stay focused at all times but more especially tells of how we should never let anyone put us down nor let their words discourage us. Rather we should let it propel us to work harder at our dreams and goals till we achieve what we desire.

IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS…

My goal/vision for the next 5 years is to see my brand (Domino Images) uniquely set apart in the creative and arts industry as one to be reckoned with. I would love to see myself achieve every short-term goal I set for myself as well as my business. I would also love to see myself fulfilling my dreams, inspiring and impacting the lives of young enthusiasts by form of training and development.

I do not have an accountability manager but I do know being accountable is key and worth looking into. I do have mentors I talk to every now and then to access and critic where necessary. 

THE AFRICAN WOMAN’S CHALLENGE:

Lack of confidence and Acceptability… 

I see this as a major challenge African women face and also have to contend with as the society does not recognize them as being as competent as their male counterparts and I can liken this to my profession where to many, it still feels odd to see a woman being a photographer and that was the source of my motivation to even start with. 

I believe having taken up this profession, I would be able to inspire more women out there to tap into their creative side and start getting creative.

WHAT I DO TO RELAX:

Listening to music, Reading, Watching cartoons and Swimming

MY – I.C.E. [INSPIRE|CELEBRATE|EMPOWER] VISION

The African woman should be inspired, celebrated and empowered because I believe that with the enabling support, exposure and right disposition, their inner gifts/talents can be harnessed to bring about much more positive impacts in our society, in Africa and the world at large.

MY AFRICAN UNION PLANS:

If I had the privilege to work in the Africa Union, I would seek to occupy any position that would champion the discovery of creative women as I believe there are a lot of women out there with great creative and artistic skills but are too scared to look inwards and test new waters either due to limitations or simply the lack inspiration and knowledge of how to start up. I also believe if more creative women are discovered, we would in turn have more entrepreneurs who can also be a source of inspiration to other women.

FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE:

My Words of advice…

I started out in Photography with an inspiration that turned into a dream… So never stop trying and never be afraid to try new things… Embrace your mistakes and sometimes the risks that come along with trying. Yes, it is difficult to take that first step but it does not hurt to make an attempt. Get over procrastinating… things might get discouraging in the beginning but with perseverance, hard work, dedication and being focused, you would achieve success.

Be inspired… Stay motivated.