We asked a handful of our favourite photographers to look back at 2019 and remember it through the photographs they took. From i-D contributions to personal pictures of friends, family and strangers on the street, this is Isabel Okoro: My Year in Photos.
18-year-old Isabel Okoro was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. Taking pictures as a child, she began to take things more seriously after moving to Toronto and getting her own camera. “I went back home to Lagos the summer after I moved and I photographed and wrote some poems for a little zine I printed called From Lagos with Love,” she says. At the moment her personal work seeks to “bridge the gaps between the motherland and the diaspora.” Earlier this year she shot her first i-D story, about young Nigerians and the need to vote. “That was a really great moment for me. But I feel I’ve gotten a lot better this year, so every shoot becomes my favourite one.”
Lagos
The sunset in Lagos on New Year’s Eve last year. I took this photo on the beach with my friends and I’m sure it was 2019 somewhere. To new beginnings.
I found a soul in the sun
From my first shoot of the year — an editorial for S.P. Badu. I cast my friends Muirewa and Ayotomi to play out a chaotic love story I imagined in my head a few days before.
Easy does it
My friend Kitan… he’s probably the person I’ve photographed the most.
Ehiko in her studio
Documenting young artists, especially those who look like me, is something I think is really important. It always feels like a privilege when I’m invited into their space.
For the love of the game
Boys playing basketball. From an ongoing collection of photos by me and styled by my friend Daniel called “Necessary Interactions”.
Sister (x3)
Girls at the park. From “Necessary Interactions” by me and Daniel.
Abubakar
This is from my 18th birthday. I had a picnic and spent the whole day with some good people. I think it’s also the first time I didn’t spend my birthday at home or with my immediate family. Lots of fun though.
SV
I’ve been photographing the Nigerian rapper SV for a while now. I spent a bit of time in London this summer and he was around recording his next project. He’s one of the people I enjoy photographing the most because I’m a big fan of his music and I get to hear unreleased stuff.
Unused tests
Had an open casting for a test shoot I was doing for a new project. It showed me how much work I still had to do to bring the idea to life, and now I’m going a different way entirely.
Jupiter
A beautiful model I met up with in NY. We shot a roll of film in like 20 minutes at the end of this gorgeous sunset. I don’t usually take double exposures but on this trip I did a few times and I really like how the photos turned out.
Post-Popeyes
I saw Wis in an i-D article last year and I’ve been a fan of his editorial and runway work ever since. We got to hang out and take some photos and he took some of me too. One of the only photos of myself I have from this year. Left: Wis by me. Right: Me by Wis.
I look up to us
From one of my last shoots of the year. I’ve wanted to make this photo for a while now, and the title has been stuck in my head ever since. It’s entirely factual. A lot of the time I find myself looking out for hope and one thing I know is that I can always count on my people. As the year comes to an end I feel more optimistic than ever, ready to go again.
Credits
All images courtesy Isabel Okoro