“Documentary photographers are visual security watchmen because they never fail to deliver by capturing every single detail available to them at a particular point in time.“
These are the words of Olawoyin Smile during the immediate-past Ogun State Annual Economic Summit organized in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Olawoyin is a documentary photographer once contracted to document the former president of Mexico, His Excellency Felipe Calderon during his visit to Nigeria in 2018.
Speaking during the summit, Mr. Smile said “the impact of a documentary photographer can never be underestimated in this current dispensation. Previous political administrations underrated documentary photography which resulted in no visual communication preserved for posterity”
Olawoyin went on to also charge all political office holders to engage the services of documentary photographers so that they can have a stake in what is going on out there because if they fail to do so, the media will publish what it has at its disposal.
As he challenged all corporate entities to create an office for documentary photography, Olawoyim cited an example of his project where he documented the Executive Director of Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) H.E Olusegun Awolowo which resulted in an archive that stands useful today and for posterity.
Olawoyin Smile is an internationally Certified Documentary Photographer with a specialty in the political landscape documentary scene. The multiple award-winning freelancer also has knowledge in public relations and journalism. He holds a post-graduate diploma in Journalism from the Abuja Institute of Journalism in Nigeria.
He covered the Nigerian Export Promotion Council CEO’s activities at the Intra-Africa Trade Fair #IATF2018 held this year in Cairo 2019. Olawoyin was officially accredited to document the investiture ceremony of the NACCIMA – Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture in 2019.
Learn more about Olawoyin Smile who is the CEO of Smile Photography and his work by finding him on all social media portals as olawoyonsmile or email him with smilefoto107@gmail.com.