Michael Aboya's journey to becoming a professional photographer began with loss. After his father passed, he began to question his own mortality and soon realized that he wanted to live knowing he pursued his dream.
Known online as Aboya.8, Michael is now a fine art and fashion photographer based in Ghana, West Africa. His images explore the emotions, love and strength of humanity through creative uses of composition and lighting.
He joined Photographer's Without Borders as a guest on the Storytelling for Change series, where we discussed his career path to photography, what inspires his images, and how he comes up with the unique compositions that define his work.
Photographers Without Borders: Can you tell us a little bit about your story and how you pursue your passion for photography?
Aboya: Before I ever got myself a camera, or even thought about making photography my career, I was just trying to create something. I was trying to put my emotions into something, but I didn't know how or the best way to do it.
The best way I found to express myself was through pictures. But I didn't notice because I was just being myself. When I lost my dad, it felt like a wake-up call, and I started to get to know myself much better. In the process, I realized this is where I belong, photography is my gift and it’s what I enjoy doing. It makes me happy. I started cultivating that happiness to see how I can share it with others.
“Stories are everywhere. You just have to open your eyes to see—not your physical eyes, but the eyes of the mind, the eyes of your heart—and allow your imagination to flow.”
Michael Aboya
Can you share your creative process when you’re creating an image like Songs of Freedom?
Most of the time, my creative process is from my imagination—it's the engine of everything. The beginning of this photograph started when I was almost asleep, and “Redemption Song” came on the radio. Although Bob Marley was playing a guitar, I saw myself playing a violin with people behind me with their fists up. I got that vision because I found myself in a situation where I needed to set myself free in order to continue my exploration of getting to know myself better.
The next day, I went out with a friend who plays the violin. We got the kids together and taught them the basics of playing. And the guy in the middle had the best expression, he almost looked like a professional violinist. I directed them exactly the way I saw it, and we documented the images. I didn't know this was going to touch so many people. It made me realize the power of images, and the power of working with your imagination.
We talked a little bit about how important it is for you to show the richness of your culture and your people through your lens. Can you tell us a little bit about why that's so important to you?
I think it's important to tell our stories. We understand our culture, we understand our environment and we understand our family, so we’re able to tell the stories for what they truly are. It brings balance between the bad side and the good side. I don't really think you can fully eliminate the bad side of things, but you can bring a balance between them. When people are able to see more of the good stories that bring happiness, they ensure a better future and know that, despite all the bad things happening, there is hope for our children, there’s hope for the future. And there's hope for every one of us.
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