Two Brothers at Usuma Lake

A Photograph by Victor Adewale

Emmanuel Iduma

Aug 23, 2023

One boy is shirtless, the other is not. But where we cannot see beyond the ankle of the shirtless boy, his partner has his feet raised. Looking closer, it appears the boy on the left is attending to a fishnet, and it is clear he has his body angled towards the grey, misty surroundings. The boys are framed as sitting at a midway point between one end of the frame and the other, as if to collapse the distance between origins and destination. In the seriousness of their poise, their familiarity with the lake is not in doubt, but what can be said about the extent of their resolve?

— Emmanuel Iduma

“I don't want to just take a photo; I also want to share in the moment as much as I can.”

This photograph was taken on my phone at Usuma Dam, in Abuja in 2018.
It is one of the images that I managed to salvage from my pre-camera period. At the beginning of my photography, my primary tool was a mobile phone. I saw the two men fishing from afar and had to walk closer to them to take this image because of the constraint of my phone lens. I had a conversation with them after as I always like to do.
I am always looking for something that surprises me or that sparks a feeling. I think that photography is such a powerful tool to make people feel. When people feel, they want to take action. Today I don't use a zoom lens because it seems to exclude me from the process of image-making, and gives all the power to the camera. I don't want to just take a photo; I also want to share in the moment as much as I can.

— Victor Adewale

About Victor Adewale

Victor Adewale is a photographer and film producer based in Lagos. He is a recipient of the Prince Claus seed award. See more of his work on his website, Instagram, and via these features in Brittle Paper and Okay Africa.

Last Week — “Patina” by Mayowa Oyewale

I took the photograph while waiting. I was waiting for someone dear to me to come around when the colour of the road sign caught my attention. Rusted green over a backdrop of fresh green grass. A slate-colored car, a slate-colored prop. The colour coordination was listless and dark.

Read more.

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This is the 80th edition of this publication, which also read on web (best for viewing images), and via the Substack iOS/Android apps.

Every Wednesday I feature one photograph and the photographer who took it: you’d read a short caption from me, and a statement from the photographer. Every Saturday, I publish a series of commentaries in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter. My hope is to engage with early to mid-career African photographers, and to create a platform in which photographers lead the cataloguing and criticism of their work.

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