Meet Tobi Sobowale (SHOBO London), a multitalented creative based in London specialising in beauty and fashion photography. With a unique eye for capturing stunning images, she also recently qualified as an architect, adding even more depth to her artistic vision. Her work is a love story, not only for herself, but for other Black women everywhere. Through her lens, she aims to not only celebrate Black beauty, but also challenge and broaden the perspectives of those who may not fully understand or appreciate us.
Photography & Heritage
Tobi's photography has been heavily influenced by her motherland, Nigeria, particularly her Yoruba heritage. One of the beautiful aspects of being a Black British person in London is the pride that many of us take in celebrating our culture, and where we come from.
For me, as someone from St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, staying connected to my culture is essential to my growth as a person. I recently visited Dominica, where I was published in the local news. Similarly, Black British Africans also take pride in their heritage and celebrate their roots. Tobi has shared how she actively participates in her culture by attending traditional Nigerian weddings, going to church, celebrating birthdays and listening to music.
Her connection to her roots is clearly reflected in her photography. The richness of Nigeria and its vibrant colours and captivating landscapes are evident in her fashion & beauty photography.
Kaptured by KaGe: Your work is absolutely incredible. Can you please share an image that made you feel confident in your photography skills, one that made you think "Yes! this is what i'm meant to do"
Tobi: This photo is from a series titled 'Like Water', which is part of a wider project titled "Don't Touch My Hair". 'Like Water' is a hair concept inspired by traditional West African hairstyles and the movement and shape of water. The project is a blend of my love for the art of beauty photography and my Yoruba culture.
I worked with a team including Hair Artist, Faith-Melody, Stylist Khadijah, MUA SlayedByMiks and model Ariish to create a beautiful set of imagery.
Kaptured by KaGe: When collaborating with other creatives, do you have full creative control over the makeup, outfit selection, and choice of models?
Tobi: I don't have full creative control. I usually create an initial concept with keywords, highlighting the theme, and ideas for hair, makeup and styling. However, to ensure the process is collaborative, I typically ask for input from other members of the creative team.
I try to make the concept flexible so that the team can have creative freedom. However some teams prefer specific looks for makeup and styling, so it depends. 'Like Water' was a collaboration with Hair Artist, Faith-Melody and we had a few meetings before the photoshoot to develop the concept, the specifics of each look and discuss model selection.
With 'Efflorescence', I created a deck that included reference images for the concept, hair, outfit and styling allowing the team to interpret and develop these ideas.
Efflorescence
I was instantly drawn to her project: Efflorescence. This timeless and elegant masterpiece deserves to be showcased in exhibitions and featured as a statement piece on someone's living room wall.
The contrast of the black background against the dark brown skin women, dressed in white, creates an image that, in my opinion represents intimacy, softness and strength.
Oftentimes, Black women are stereotyped and viewed from an ignorant lens -as aggressive, loud and overly dramatic. In my opinion, this image challenges that misconception, revealing a nurturing, caring, tender and deeply empowering side of a Black woman. I have to emphasise that this is all "my opinion" because art is subjective.
When I saw Efflorescence, I instantly encouraged Tobi to post it on her Instagram feed because it needed to be seen!
"Efflorescence" explores the softness and delicacy of the Black woman, and the idea of transformation,
from a seed, to a flower in bloom. - SHOBO LondonKaptured by KaGe: How has your background in architecture influenced the way you approach shooting, retouching, or perceiving beauty?
Shobo: I'm not sure if there is a direct influence that I could pinpoint, but it definitely has influenced my creative eye and approach. Architecture is similar to photography, especially when it comes to the creative process.
With Architecture, you start with research, create a concept, develop the design and work with a team to build the final product. Architecture also develops skills in storytelling, composition and the perception of space which are key concepts of photography.
BLACK BEAUTY
Unlike many photographers, Tobi has built a sense of anticipation around her work. She doesn't need to post constantly to keep people interested, her unique style naturally stands out.
Her work is so distinctive and intentional people eagerly await her next release. She isn't just taking pictures of beautiful people, her work has a deeper meaning, so I want to delve further into her mindset and understand her creative approach.
Kaptured by KaGe: How do you see your work contributing to the broader conversation about culture and beauty in the creative world?
Tobi: This year, I'm focusing on the storytelling aspect of my work. I will continue to create beautiful imagery, but will ensure that there is a clear narrative.
Key themes that I will focus on are representation, culture and community. I aim to integrate my British and Nigerian culture, exploring themes of identity.
When it comes to my beauty imagery, my main focus is to photograph a variety of Black women, to celebrate all and empower the 'other'. In the mainstream media, there is usually just 1 or 2 ways in which Black women are presented and I aim to challenge this and show that there is nuance in the way Black women look, feel, act and this diversity should be celebrated.
Kaptured by KaGe: As a photographer myself, I've hidden Easter eggs throughout my work- subtle reflections of my emotions that most people would never notice until now. You have the ability to see beauty in others, but do you see the beauty within yourself? if so, would you consider doing a beauty photoshoot in front of the camera?
Tobi: This is an interesting question. I would say I grew up feeling very insecure, especially because of my height, weight and acne. I've always felt different and separate from others. So, my work is a love story to other Black women, but also one to myself. A reminder that there is beauty in the 'other'. I would love to do a self-portrait series eventually, but I don't know if I would share it publicly.
Kaptured by KaGe: That's really interesting because I've always thought you were beautiful and loved your height! With that being said, what message or emotions do you hope people take away when they see your culturally inspired beauty work?
Tobi: For Black women, I hope they feel loved, seen, empowered and heard. For everyone else, I hope it just broadens their understanding of the world, or at least of my version of how I see the world.
Written so well . Thank you ‘