Some stories are more than portraits; they are pieces of history worth preserving. We were honoured to photograph His Excellency, Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo, PhD, for a heritage portrait session.
Heritage portraits in Nigeria are not about a quick likeness. They are about keeping a face, and the life behind it, for the people who will come after. At Tboss Photography, a female-led portrait studio in Ibadan, we recently had the privilege of photographing His Excellency, Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo, PhD, former Deputy Governor of Oyo State and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State.
It is a session we count as one for the books. Here is a statesman whose journey, service and contributions form part of our history, and we felt the weight and the gladness of that as we worked.
Why heritage portraits matter
We believe some faces deserve to be remembered, and some stories deserve to be preserved for generations. A heritage portrait is made with that in mind. It is not styled to follow a trend. It is made to still feel true decades from now, when a grandchild or a student of history looks at it and wants to know who this person was.
For this series we kept things simple and let the person lead. He wears white, with a cap folded in the traditional way, and in the colour frames the red cap with its green and gold stripes stands out against a deep brown backdrop. In one portrait he sits with his hands clasped, calm and unhurried. In another he turns toward the camera with a quiet, knowing half-smile.
We also worked in black and white, against darkness. Without colour, attention goes to the lines of the face, the texture of the cloth and the stillness of the hand resting at the chin. In the profile, with his eyes lowered, the picture is almost silent. Colour and monochrome each tell the story a little differently, which is why we like to offer both.
A portrait today. A legacy for generations.
Planning a heritage portrait session in Ibadan
If you are thinking about a portrait for yourself, a parent or an elder in your family, a few practical thoughts may help. You do not need to be a public figure. Any life that has shaped a family, a community or a profession is worth recording.
First, talk to us before the day. Tell us who the portrait is for and how you hope to use it: a framed print at home, a family archive, a tribute or a publication. That helps us decide on framing, backdrop and the mix of colour and black and white.
Second, choose clothing that feels like the person. Traditional attire and a favourite cap or head tie often say more than any prop could. Plain, well-pressed fabrics photograph beautifully and age gracefully on the wall.
Third, allow time. The best expressions rarely arrive in the first few minutes. A calm, unhurried session lets the sitter settle, and that is when the real portrait appears.
Finally, think about the future. Ask for prints as well as digital files, and keep them somewhere safe. A heritage portrait is only useful to the next generation if it survives.
If you are looking for a portrait photographer in Ibadan who treats every sitting as a record worth keeping, we would love to hear from you. Some stories should not wait.
