What’s a photobook? Well it’s really self-explanatory

A book — with or without text — where the work’s primary message is carried by photographs. The Dutch photographer, Ralph Prins describes it as an autonomous art form, comparable with a piece of sculpture, a play or a film. The photographs lose their own photographic character as things ‘in themselves’ and become parts, translated into printing ink, of a dramatic event called a book.

Daniel Ekong’s photo book ‘I think I Like this Little Life’ is a collection of photos that the young and talented photographer has taken during his university years. From the photo of his girlfriend that got him into photography to pulling of daring and risky shots and evolving as a photographer and artist, I think I like this little life although a collection of photos and campaigns by BleachCarte serves as real life documentation of his creative journey, an autobiographical Bildungsroman

After consuming the photos on each page, I had a chat with the artist himself on the creative process, the necessity for the photo book and being a young creative in Naij.

(Interview has been edited for clarity sake)

Chikere: When did you first have the idea for ‘I think I like this little life?’

Bleach: I think I like this little life came to me at some point in 2024, looking back at all the images I had made prior, I decided to run a fashion show because I was heavily inclined to the technical aspect of fashion, the clothes are even still here. But then I decided for the show that I’d print some of my photographs, so I curated an album of my favorite photographs for display at the fashion show, and that is how “I think I like this little life” was born Later I would keep making images with the perspective of adding it to that album and curating a body of work centered around all the shoots I did and would do in Uni

Chikere: ‘the freedom to do whatever you want, carte Blanche you mentioned in your artist statement as the way you’ve chosen to live, why?

Bleach: This one is easy, I hate “labels”, all my role models growing up weren’t just one thing, they did whatever they wanted to and they genuinely enjoyed it. Case Study Virgil Abloh, an architect, Creative Director, Designer, Skater, DJ. He could do whatever he wanted, why can’t I?

Chikere: Real talk

Bleach: Amen!

Chikere: let’s get a little into some of the photos starting with the first one. PMGFNOTIFSL, First look and it looks like it was inspired by an lsd trip of some sort so what’s the story and is the name and acronym for something?

Bleach: PMGFNOTIFSL means Posting My Girlfriend’s Nudes On The Internet For Some Likes. Soo it’s funny, I had a dream and I imagined my partner in a sea of colors, waving, it was beautiful, it was a silhouette of Vanessa

I woke up and said I must recreate it. I wasn’t a photographer at the time, I had never picked up a professional camera ever but, I had been a model and stylist and “Creative Director”, so I decided to try. We used a ring light to get the primary colors and ambient light from the LEDs in my friend’s room, we oiled Vanessa up, put Christmas ribbons as clothes and accessorized with a mask and some chains. It was beautiful, it was as intense as my dream. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos the day before on how to operate the camera and then I went in blind and naive, I took almost 400 shots I think, no planning, no idea what to do, I just did. Then I put it in Photoshop and began to play with the curves and edits, until I got what felt most like the dream. My first ever shoot, so dear to me.

Chikere: Crazy. So a dream about your partner basically kick started your photography career

Bleach: My forever Muse Vanessa inspires almost everything I do actually

Chikere: That’s some real lover’s shii right there. From your first photo shoot to subsequent ones how were your navigating finding your personal style, or did it just come naturally?

Bleach: I don’t know if I have a personal style People say this but I can’t see it, plus it confuses me because I continuously use new techniques and methods. I think it’s a constant evolution, I’m a better photographer at this very second than I was at the last image in the book

Chikere: For real? I’m not sure if I could call it a style per say, but you use a lot of chains, rope or some sort basically bondage tools I guess but yeah

Bleach: I really like sex as an art form

Chikere: I agree. One of the truest art forms. But In a country like Naij where most of the demographic look at it in disdain of some sort especially the older generation what’s your view on that and how people may perceive your work?

Bleach: Oh that’s easy, they are liars and I don’t really care about a liar’s opinion. If you starve yourself from true emotion in order to be accepted into some weird construct society has placed on you. That’s really a you problem

Chikere: juggling academics and being a full time creative, how has it been?

Bleach: Unhealthy, but necessary for the bigger goal I guess. I want to be a computer vision engineer and develop revolutionary imaging tools, I want to merge my passion and education and make systems that take images one would not even believe, crafting experiences. My goal is to run an organization ish that develops technologies, and offers a platform for young and emerging artists

Chikere: by the way, what’s the wildest critic or reaction you’ve gotten from your works?

😭someone was dragging me a few weeks ago after I got a Notesphere feature and he said I use a POS to snap people

Chikere: real, Do your thing. The ones who get will follow.

If you were to suggest a music album any album of your choice to go with the photo book which one would you choose and why?

Bleach: this is very very tricky, because one of the shoots in the book is titled after Kam K’s song “Jugador”. And I listened to different types of music while shooting each image. Maybe just shuffle your liked songs

Chikere: So along all the shots which would you say was your favorite to work on

Bleach: I don’t know about my favorite but I can tell you about my worse. The Jugador!

Couldn’t find the boots I wanted for the models feet, I borrowed someone’s camera and the person took it back right before the shoot, it was supposed to be outdoors but it started raining. Top it all off, I started vomiting and had horrible stomach pain, after every shot I would lie down or vomit. The next day I was diagnosed with ulcer

Chikere: that’s some serious ‘village people’. But on a real note that’s crazy and the willingness to continue, that’s dedication

Bleach: I think one thing I forgot to include in the book is that of the 23 shoots in the book 14 were shot on iPhone

Chikere: Truth be told I’d have given up after the first inconvenience

Bleach: I don’t know why I had to, but I had to

Chikere: that, I understand. But still on that I saw this tweet about Michaleango painting the Sistine chapel and how the work took both his health and left him in agony to the point of writhing poems in pain, what’s your view on must art take from you to a point before its real art?

Bleach: Michelangelo’s back was never the same after the Sistine chapel. And no I don’t think Art necessarily must take from you to be good, But I do believe you must give a lot into it for it to be felt I’m not sure if that makes any sense I get

Chikere: There has to be some depth of trade, People would normally feel how much was put into a work. Aside from photography what other forms of arts are you into?

Bleach: I was a graphic designer, I’ve designed graphic tees, jorts. I’ve actively sewn some stuff for Bleach and it’s on a lot of the shoots. I would draw before but nothing too serious, same thing for 3d modeling

Chikere: multifaceted for real

Bleach: #sufferingandhustling

Chikere: Plus how important is it to ‘just do or start something especially as a creative in Nigeria, As opposed to waiting for the right time or perfect time?

Bleach: If you wait for the perfect time the price would have doubled. Mentally I would say it’s best to do when you’re ready. But please force yourself to be ready as soon as possible. Try to at least, this country is horrible

Chikere: real talk, sadly

You’re an Abuja based creative How’s the scene in Abuja as compared to Lagos and do you really believe the talk the scene in Abuja is stagnant and toxic?

Bleach: Firstly, please I’m not Abuja based. I’m just a guy that lived there Right now I’m Port Harcourt based even. I truly believe the Lagos scene is more supportive, I’m on some group chats with them where they all help each other, push If one eats, they all eat Abuja is the opposite, a bunch of crabs in a bucket, ew

Chikere: Oh for real my bad

Bleach: Yeah it’s not that deep, but that city…I tell everyone. Find your way out, Odumodu, Bloody Civilian, Azanti They all left there in order to thrive

Chikere: Real/ But it shouldn’t be like that, anyways that’s for the city to sit up

Bleach: It really shouldn’t but there’s an evil cloud over that city that I pray clears soon

Chikere: Amen! Way too much obvious potential for it to be left to waste

When did you decide that compiling and publishing the photo book was a necessity and why?

Bleach: I look up to a lot of photographers, Avedon, Lindbergh, Karsh, Nick Knight, Annie Leibovitz There wasn’t insta in their time, you had to see their pictures in real life, and then pictures always felt more real when they’re printed. So I knew what I had to do

Chikere: Basically following in the steps of the greats before you

Bleach: The surest way to being great

Chikere: Just to be clear you schooled In Nile university, so where most of the shots taken in and around the environs of the school

Bleach: Yeah I schooled in Nile, didn’t really like going there though. Most of the shoots were in the student accommodation I stayed in off campus had a single room that doubled as a studio for me

Chikere: The editing process for the photo book, how was it like and any specials shoutouts?

Bleach: Editing the book was relatively easy it’s in chronological order and a strict layout so arranging it was easy, all I had to do was place them and write the names and year. Selecting the pictures was very hard, I had to choose per what encapsulates the mood and message of each shoot. Every single image was placed strategically

Chikere: Wow. I have rambled a lot but I won’t be satisfied if we don’t talk about one of my favorites work there ‘guardian’ what’s the story behind it, what where you tryna explore and the BTS

Bleach: The longest shoot I’ve ever planned

I started planning it at the same time I was planning Shibari, which is why in one of the frames for guardian, I re-used some rope from Shibari. I didn’t know what I wanted that shoot to be, it was completely unnamed, I only knew that I wanted her to wear white and be by a tree. I spoke with the model almost daily for two weeks I think, still trying to find out what I wanted to do. It was so scattered. Then the day before, my friend and I were commissioned to paint a venue for an event they wanted to have. So I had to paint some trees with traditional African art styles

And then…it all clicked. The tree was always the subject, the model is also a subject

What if they both become one! The model, Tega, texted me that we should run it and they came over. I used some of the leftover paint from the trees and did a black into green into white gradient.

Black symbolizing roots, green is the leaves, her body was brown and the white to go with the innocence of the tree, the purity. We went to the tree I had marked out, it was a whole team. So much happened, the models glasses got lost, we planned a shot and trying to get someone there to do a test, the person almost fell and hit their head on a stone. The model’s skin was very sensitive so every stone or blade of grass imprinted on her skin. It was actually such a funny shoot Oh and also, shot on iPhone

An iPhone, a small reflector and a dream. And of course, a great team

Chikere: That’s more than a whole lot

But praise to the most high for a successful shoot. Can’t get anywhere without one, the team that is.

Bleach: Praise to the most high like mad

Chikere: Lot of risk. But the reward was worth it, right it’s really been one of my standouts

Bleach: The credits of the book are so closed off. That’s actually my super team, no one compares to friends that believe

Chikere: It’s like you use iPhones a lot for you shots, many people complain about gears and tools when it comes to photography what do you have to say on that?

Bleach: It’s a very tricky subject. But I’ll say this, there’s a difference between a camera man and a photographer. A picture is much deeper than the techniques used to achieve it, but then to get people to feel it as much as possible, you must use those techniques

I know all there is to know about the iPhone camera, I know its limitations, I know its strengths. That’s why I’m so confident in it, anything that passes its limitations, I know the camera to use to get that result. A ton of studying the technology behind the equipment you use

I mean Nick Knight has shot full campaigns for brands like Diesel with only his phone, but that doesn’t mean he will only use his phone you dig? In relation to this, the average person will not be able to use the iPhone camera to its fullest potential like a photographer

Chikere: I get. A skilled photographer would bring the best out of any tool doesn’t mean any tool would suit his particular needs for a shoot or something like that

Bleach: Exactly. exactly bro

Chikere: So what’s next for bleach? And are we expecting ‘I think I like this little life ‘ in physical copies soon ?

Bleach: I’m tryna explore photo journalism. Real stories, real lives, all the feelings. And most definitely the physical copies are coming, I have the only one right now which I’m using as a press run before I let them all out. Hardcover, matte paper, beautiful finish

Chikere: Oh that’d be a sight to see Best believe I’d be there. And for the copies

Yes please! It’s time to bring physical media back!

Chikere: Thank you so much man. It’s been an actual pleasure having this conversation can’t wait for more of what you have in store for real.