A Peek Into the Life of… Wedding Photographer/Actor – Demi Olubanwo

We made a call for BellaNaija readers to be a part of a new exciting feature series called, ‘A Peek Into The Life Of‘ which the Team has been working on. {Click here if you missed it} We’ve been very excited by the feedback we’ve received and we’re happy with the submissions we’ve been receiving. It feels so good to get to know our readers better – what they do. So far, we’ve had interestingly diverse features. ‘Deyemi Okanlawon, Chinedu Anarado , Jennifer Akporehe , Tosan Iwere,  Adetomi Imoteda Aladeokomo, ‘Tito Balogun , Taiwo ‘Taiyel’ Lawanson, Martins Lawrence Akande , Yetunde Odugbesan-Omede , Chisom Ogbummuo and Chuma Obum

Today, we have a man who wears multiple hats! Demi Olubanwo is a wedding photographer, an actor and currently pursuing a post graduate degree in Acting. Are you ready to peek into his life?

Let’s do this!

Job title
I’m a wedding photographer (Demi O. Photography) and an actor/drama school student getting my Masters in Acting at The Arts Education School, London

What you do specifically?
o As a wedding photographer, I creatively capture and tell stories of weddings through pictures.
o As an actor, I portray different characters on stage and TV and I’m currently training to be a world-class actor.

Core responsibilities
o Photographing wedding events, editing photos, creating slideshows and albums.
o Portraying different characters as an actor, learning and studying several skills that are required from a professional actor (eg. Combat, singing, text and character analysis etc)

How long have you been at this job?
o I’ve been a paid wedding photographer for 2 years, a paid actor for 2 years as well and a drama school student for 2 months so far (got 10 more to go!)

Highlights of the job
o The best part of my jobs is that I get to do and live out the things that other people dream about. As a wedding photographer, I see it as a privilege to be able to share intimate moments of such a big day of peoples’ lives. Guests come to weddings and see just the ceremonies but as photographer, I’m there when the bride’s grandmother is praying for her or when the groom needs to be talked out of his cold feet and it’s just such a blessing to be able to witness such moments. Every couple and every wedding bring something different and it’s great to be able to see how different cultures celebrate weddings. Also I’ve come across some amazing people in this line of work. I’ve been blessed to have great, understanding couples and most of them have become friends, some I even call family. Also I have other photographers who push me to be fearless when shooting (if you’ve worked with Jide Alakija, I know you just said that in his voice lol) and to develop my craft further.

o As an actor, I get the chance to be so many different people, experience so many different things. Today I could be a teacher, tomorrow I could be an astronaut, the day after, Barack Obama (lol) I could be anyone for a period of time and when that job is done, I drop that character and pick up another one. Being in drama school in London, I’ve come across so many great actors from different parts of the world and it’s great to see the passion for acting connecting all of us; it’s almost like a language that only we understand. One of the big positives of training as an actor is that I’m learning the art on an international standard; it’s one thing to have talent and be good locally, but that would only get you so far. Also it’s so much fun! Last week we started on swordfighting and capoeira so I get to pretend I’m in Game of Thrones. We’re learning to sing on Broadway standards and act like you’re on stage at the Shakespeare Globe, what more can I ask for?

Downsides of the job
o Physically they’re both stressful! When I’m shooting a wedding, I’m on my feet (or knees and sometimes, my back) for upwards of 10 hours. I’ve shot a wedding where I started at 6am and was there till 2am (granted some of that time was dedicated to the turn up) But after shooting a wedding, I get home and literally pass out fully dressed; I don’t even take my shoes off because I’m so tired!

o As an actor, you have looooooooonnnnggg days! I’ve had call times of 5am and we’re there till 5am the next day and have to come back in a few hours. And you can’t be late; you’re late, you get fired (if you’re on a professional standard production) and you don’t want that reputation, trust me.

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
o I honestly can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing because I’m following the dreams I had as a 4-year-old kid but if it came down to it, I’d be a radio On-Air Personality; I’ve done that for a few years before and I’m quite comfortable in that field.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade your skill set at this job?
o Let’s just say I’m great at what I do. Don’t believe me? Stop by www.DemiOPhotography.com and watch NdaniTV’s Gidi Up

I’m living my career dream. Yes? No?
o Hell yeah! I haven’t gotten the dream yet (Hello Oscars) but I’m working toward it.

Let’s take a closer look at Demi’s life, shall we?

Typical Busy Work Day (Drama Student)

6am – 8am: Wake up, pray, shower, prep for school, eat breakfast, and commute to school
8am – 9am: 15/20 minute cardio warm-up, vocal and breath warm-ups
9am – 11am: Text/Character analysis and rehearsal
11am – 12pm: Physical Practice (Yoga, Pilates) or Character Movement Studies
12pm – 1pm: Singing
1pm – 2pm: Lunch break
2pm – 4pm: Voice and breath work or accent class
4pm – 5.30pm: Combat
5.30pm – 7pm: Commute back home
7pm – 9pm: Gym
9pm – 10pm: Dinner/TV
10pm – Midnight: Homework or editing photos
Try to sleep before 1am lol

Typical Busy Work Day (Wedding Photographer)

6am – 7am: Wake up, pray, shower, prep gear
8am – 10am: Bride/Groom prep (makeup, dressing up etc)
11am – 1pm: Church ceremony (if the preacher isn’t feeling chatty lol)
1pm – 3pm: Formal photos and bridal party portraits
3pm – 7pm: Reception ceremony
7pm – 10pm: Shooting the party scene
10pm – 11pm/Midnight: Do some partying myself
Again, try to sleep before 1am

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Wow, Demi! Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your life. BellaNaijarians, if you enjoyed reading this and you’d like to be a part of this series, please send us an email [features(at)bellanaija(dot)com] with the subject “A Peek Into The Life Of…”