I entered the OAU Conference Center and was immediately enveloped by a dull heat that quickly generated sweat and stuck clothes to skin. After three collective years of shooting fashion shows in Lagos, it was a sharp awakening not to see and feel the lights, glamour … and air-conditioning that often filled those spaces. The show had nothing to apologise or compensate for, in their space was the presence of growth and promise, visible in the earnest efforts of the organisers, designers and models.
I have always enjoyed the intimacy back-stages provide and chose to spend my time there with the activities of the models. I made sure that they were aware of my presence and that of my camera. As I darted between and around limbs, the girls easily stated the times when it was not acceptable for me to go for a shot. The girls were playful and open, most first-time models excited to be a part of the glam Liberia had to offer.
Without a proper flash, I used the flashlight from my iPhone and honestly, struggled with the balancing game of moving quickly and real zing my upper body strength is quite what I thought it was.
