Marianne Olaleye, a Nigerian-born photographer, has been shortlisted among the top 100 for the Portrait of Britain photography contest.

Advertisement

Launched in 2016 by the British Journal of Photography (BJP), the Portrait of Britain is an annual British portrait photography competition.

Courtesy of her shortlisting, Olaleye will have her works published in a first-time Portrait of Britain book to be released September 6.

The shortlisted photographers have been featured on JCDecaux public digital screens, the largest display of contemporary portrait photography in the UK.

Advertisement

According to Olaleye, photography, to her, is about storytelling and expressions of human behaviour.

The UK-based photographer describes her kind of photography as “simple and candid”.

Olaleye often spotlights the “candid nature of feminine beauty” in her photography.

Advertisement

Advertisement

“I focus on the natural beauty of women… I feel like it’s important to portray BME women in soft settings, as they are rarely represented in the media and even when they are, they are often sexualised or fetishized,” she once told Ayiba Magazine.

“As such, I photograph women in their natural settings, as everyday women, to present a counter-narrative that re-tells the story of the marginalised.

“I’m very much inspired by the beauty of the women I photograph, and not only in the physical sense, but in the various roles they undertake in their lives.”

Olaleye has done work for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos state governor.

Advertisement

Her work has been published in Aftenposten and The British Journal of Photography.



Copyright 2024 TheCable. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from TheCable.

Follow us on twitter @Thecablestyle