Image courtesy of Sokari Higgwe
7th May 2020 | UNITY.london

Sokari is a self-trained photographer based in east London, driven by his passion for architecture, art, design and the human form. His photography is inspired by the environment and the world around him, which he uses to showcase a fresh perspective of his subjects.

Sokari graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and has an MSc in Business Information Technology (BIT). He worked for an investment bank in the City of London for over 16 years but is now following his passion for photography. 

What drew you to photography?

I have always been a visual person, as a kid I was always drawn to books and magazines with pictures and colours. I never really liked reading. I would pick a magazine or book and go through the pictures from start to finish before I consider reading it. I still find myself doing the same thing now as an adult.  I got my first camera at the age of 12 (Konica Film camera), given to me by my sister, all I wanted to do was take pictures and I have never stopped.

My father was also a very keen photographer who took lots of photos of the family, and documented our childhood as we grew up, maybe that also influenced my love for photography.

Professionally though, my photography started as a hobby. I never went to school to train as a photographer. Everything I know today I have learned from trial and error. The more I learned to use the camera, the more I wanted to take more pictures. Initially, I use to be afraid to show my work to people because, I thought people would laugh at me or not like them, but I joined some photography clubs and through constructive criticism from my peers I was able to improve on my technics and skill. I also believe that my passion for photography helped me a lot. I got my first break when I was asked to present a solo exhibition in a gallery in east London (The Art Pavilion).

I soon realised that I was enjoying taking pictures and processing images more than I enjoyed doing my day job, so in 2016, I took the bold step to quit my Job and make photography my full-time profession, and I have no regrets.

Your primary emphasis has been on Architectural, Abstract, Cityscape and Landscape photography. In 2019 you focused more on the human as a subject, coming into the end of 2019 with a very successful exhibition “Rainbow and Chair” at Trinity Art Gallery.  What prompted you to expand your practice?

As a photography I have always been drawn to shapes, forms, movement, colour and light. I am also a very shy person by nature. One of the great things about taking pictures of buildings is that you do not have to speak to them or ask their permission, they are always there for you to shoot night or day. (except when security guards chase you away).

 With people, it’s the complete opposite, you have to approach, and explain yourself, sometimes build a relationship with the person, to gain their confidence and make them comfortable around you. There is also a lot of coaching the subject when you are a portrait photographer.

Being a shy person, I found it difficult to sometimes approach people, I also did not have access to a studio space to capture and create images of people as I would like to. But this changed in late 2018, as I had the opportunity to acquire a studio space (London Lighthouse Studio), in London City Island. I was able to use my network of photographers to connect with models and to try things I always wanted to do. This was how the “Rainbow’ and ‘Chair’ projects were born. 

Tell us more about Rainbow and Chair

The rainbow project explores the relationship between “Sexuality”, ‘Depression” and “Loneliness”.  The idea was to use the rainbow fabric, which is symbolic, to create images that represent each of these subjects, with the fabric acting as a protective shield or vail over the subject. In each image you see the subject is struggling to stay inside or are trying to escape, while others appear to be comfortable within the space.

 The chair project was based on a designer chair (Spline chair) I had owned for over 15 years. I bought the chair because I loved its shape and design. I always knew I would like to take photographs the chair, but I struggled for many years on the best way to do it, I didn’t want it to be just a picture of a chair, because I felt that would be boring. The idea came to me one day while at the studio.

The idea was to get models to interact with the chair and produce what represents a union between the two. The challenge was to ensure that the neither chair nor models overshadowed or outperformed each other. I wanted to create a union between man and chair so that the final image would represent one subject rather than two. (Man, and object to become one). The result is what you see in the exhibition.

What has been your biggest challenge pursuing a career in photography?

My greatest challenge as a photographer has been the fear that my work is not good enough, or that I have not done justice to a subject that I am trying to capture. I used to be very scared of showing my work in public, and I still do sometimes, but I am becoming more confident and relaxed about it.

I am also a very shy person, I love taking pictures of people, because I believe the human form is incredibly beautiful, but l find it difficult to approach people, which is probably why I do a lot more architectural photos. I do not have to speak to the buildings. They are always there and don’t speak back to you.

Has your practice changed during COVID-19 and lockdown? How the situation impacts you as a photographer?

The Covid-19 virus has had a great impact on the studio, as you know studio photography involves being in a confined space and in very close proximity with people (models, makeup artists, stylists, creative directors etc).  The lockdown has made it impossible to have photoshoots. The studio is currently shut as we have to follow the government guidelines for all public spaces.

But now that the studio is shut, I have more time to focus on architecture. The lockdown brings new opportunities, for architectural photography, because there are fewer people on the streets now, so it’s much easier to capture buildings and cityscapes without people walking into your shot. I never stopped my architectural photography. I love architectural photography and it will always be part of me.

How do you keep yourself motivated, inspired and creative during current situation?

One thing about being a photography is that you always have tons of images that you never get a chance to process, due to work pressure and deadline from clients. However, with so much time on my hands now, I find myself digging into my achieves and finishing up personal projects and images I had long abandoned. I feel I am being more creative with my time now, as I don’t have to worry much about paperwork. I am also using the time to update my website and online store and trying to reach more people using social media. It has also been a time for reflection and taking stock of my career and planning for the future.

Your last image from the lockdown?

How your days look like nowadays?

I wake up really early about 4.30am daily, I listen to the news for about 30 minutes, to know what’s happing around the world, and to get update on the virus and hoe it’s impacting us. I then make myself a cup of coffee, sit down in front of my computer and start editing, checking my emails from time to time and responding to queries. I also spend some time cleaning up and tiding the flat. I go out for exercise when I can, but there are days I don’t step out of the flat. I sometimes go cycling with the camera, but I have to be careful, so I don’t get stopped by the police.

What advice do you have for other photographers in lockdown?

I would encourage them to use this time to be more creative. I try to find creative opportunities in any situation I find myself. If you like architectural photography, this is the time to make the most of it, go out and take advantage of fewer people on the streets. If you like landscape photography, there is no better time than now to set out really early or very late, to capture the most amazing images of sunset and sunrise.

This period has also been a very difficult time for a lot of creatives (photographers and artists), because our main sources or places of income are all shut. Using the internet and social media is one way artists can market their works, and make connections with other artist by sharing ideas and collaborating.

Tell us more about your new gallery and studio space that you are opening this year at London City Island.

This has been a dream of mine for a very long time. I have been working towards this for the past five years. The opening of my studio in 2018 was the first step towards achieving that dream. Now I have a chance to expand the studio to include a gallery space.

The space will give other artist and photographers like myself a chance to show their works to the public, and to earn some money from their hard work. It will also act as shopfront for the studio to get more visibility. We will be located in the in the same building as the English National Ballet.

There were many challenges in the process of securing the space and each step has been long and though. From the first day of viewing the space, to where we are today has taken over year. The next step is to fitout the unit, but with the Covid-19 shutdown we are not able to do anything until after the government lockdown is over.

At the moment the opening of the space is dependent on the Covid-19 Lockdown. I cannot give a definite date for now, but I am hopeful that we shall be open before the end of the year.

What should visitors expect from the new space? 

The space will be the new home for London Lighthouse Studio. There will be a dedicated studio space, available to use by me and other photographers. The only difference is that this new studio space will be bigger, better and more flexible than out old space. The rest of the space will be a gallery space and a shopfront for the studio.