“It’s a thing of opportunity-meet-preparation’ – photographer Fola Stag

He understands the routine. Each family dances into the Ojude Oba Arcade, Ijebu Ode. The horsemen deliver their performance before the crowd and only one horseman and the family on foot go before the king.

That was where FolaStag stood, waiting for his moment.

He started photography in 2013, as an undergraduate at Babcock University. Soon he became the school’s official photographer, taking images for the school calendar and website. But after he graduated, he knew he had to improve his skills.

“You have to tell a story,” he told Pulse Nigeria in an exclusive interview.

In 2019, he picked up his camera again and started taking pictures of his food. When he posted them online, sharp and crisp as they were, the forgotten corners of the internet, where photographers hold court about the problems of being creatives, went berserk.

“Everybody went crazy. They were like ‘This is so good. You should do this more often,’” he said.

Doors opened; he collaborated with chefs whose food he took photos of and landed gigs with brands like Martel, Maggi, Kellogg’s Nigeria, Golden Penny. His followers started calling him “Fola Foodie.”

Even though food is what he became known for, it is a single portrait of the investment banker Farooq Oreagba at the Ojude Oba festival last week that will make him really famous.

“I enjoy taking portraits but it’s now my core. I want to do it from the storytelling angle rather than just taking portraits for taking sake,” he said.

His stepfather is one of the organisers of the festival so he had seemingly unbridled access. In 2019, he was present. When the festival returned from hiatus last year, he was also there with his friends taking photos.

“It is customary for the Ijebus to do that every year in a flamboyant way,” he said of the festival. “There is enough food. When the Ijebus are throwing parties, they don’t leave anything behind. They go all out. They want to shut down everywhere.”

At the event, Oreagba mounted his horse, with his son behind. His dark Silhouette sunglasses beaming and his sleeves covered in tattoos. He was striking.

“I’m a big fan of tattoos. I’ve had temporary tattoos with henna. So immediately I saw him, I was like, ‘This looks really pretty,” FolaStag said.

He took more than 30 photos of Oreagba; close-up shots of his sunglasses, and close-up shots of his tattoos. With his left hand, he recorded videos of Oreagba on his phone.

“I remember clearly. I was standing at the staircase where people climbed to go and meet the king. I’ve been a part of it over and over. I already knew the movement of these horses. So I knew where to position myself. At that moment I raised my hand to get his attention and he looked at me and did the peace sign. That was the shot,” he said.

“It’s a thing of opportunity-meet-preparation, and being at the right place at the right time. I had never had any conversation with him. I have never met him one-on-one. We’ve only had one conversation to date,” he said.

The image has since become one of a couple of Oreagba – who is currently managing director of NG Clearing but is a former member of the Derivatives Product Advisory Committee of the Nigerian Stock Exchange – that went viral. In an interview with Arise TV later, Oreagba would reveal that he was living on borrowed time. He said that he had an incurable form of terminal cancer.

“Till now I still don’t know how far the picture has gone. Sometimes I look at people and I want to know their story. At that moment I was taking that picture, Mr Farooq was the odd one out. I was like, ‘Why does this old man have a tattoo?’” he said.

The image catapulted FolaStag to another level of fame, from the obscure world of photographers to a celebrity of some sort within the industry.

“I have been receiving calls,” he said.

He has a documentary he is working on. He also is looking to have a kind of Friendsgiving that might be paid. He hasn’t decided yet. But he is looking for more brands and collaborations.

“I see myself as a clean canvas. All I am after is to make sure whatever I’m doing I slay. I leave no chances for deliberation. I want you to see excellence,” he said.