Meeting him in a minute gives the impression he’s not a friendly person but after a chat that lasted about an hour, we saw the real and down to earth talented photographer. Ade Plumptre has eyes for details. According to him, he loves things done, set up and put in a particular order, which he says has been a part of his life from childhood. Enjoy the excerpts below in an interview he had with Taiye Tunkarimu & Tola Awoyemi.
His Background
Right from childhood, Ade Plumptre has always loved order, when things are not the way it should be, it causes a problem for him. “I learnt photography from an architect and architects keep details and everything has to be in order.” There are certain principles of Photography because I mentor a lot of people and teach people. The first thing is to understand these principles and guidelines and as you grow you can break the rules! Never break the rule all in the name of creativity, when you become a professional, then you can break the rule.
Tell us about your self
“I was born into a Christian family (old school), my mum was an S .U, and my parents instilled certain values in us. We travelled a lot because my father was a military officer and also a medical consultant. We were out of the country and in many states, even though I grew up from a Christian family, I was a military brat, went to military school, Jos, did my National Youth Service Corps in Port-Harcourt, worked in the Financial Sector and then decided to be a photographer while I went to hustle with my cousin who was an architect”
Was Photography a passion or you just stumbled on it?
“I remember my father giving me a camera when I was in secondary school and it was fun taking pictures but as I grew, I find out that passions are things that you develop, I have heard a lot of artistes telling their stories and saying they are into their artistry because of passion, I tell them to come down to earth and be realistic. We all know that it’s because of poverty. I was never a 9am – 5pm person; I love to do my work and get it done and have time for myself. As we all know when you work on salary it’s never like that, even when you have accomplished your task, your boss still wants you around, and I never believed in it so I went to hustle with my cousin who is an architect and also a photographer. The rest is history. I enjoy waking up, taking photographs, meeting clients and getting my job done. It’s wonderful! Once in a while I do creative stuff, Fashion and Style for magazines and portrait of people around.
What has been your greatest challenge and how have you managed it?
“There are many challenges not one not two, one major challenge is getting good quality pictures. I thank God am opportune; I travel and make money so am able to buy good equipment. When I travel abroad, some of my colleagues wonder at the kind of cameras and equipments I buy, while they go out to hire or rent cameras, Lights, Studio Space, and pay on credit for over 12 months”. There was a time I wanted to buy a camera worth 2000 pounds, the shop attendant wanted to call the police because am a Nigerian and I didn’t have a credit card or an account. It’s the money I made and saved with a friend in the United Kingdom and when I had enough, I travelled to buy it because it is what I use to work and come out with good quality pictures. I am an event photographer; I do a lot of Marketing Strategy and Portraiture. I have enjoyed working with M-Net South-Africa, when you work with people outside; it pays more because they understand your worth and where you are coming from. When I started, it was a little bit rough, but generally, I face the challenges every other business person goes through. I tell people that if you know what you are doing and you have a passion for it, you will succeed. Initially it could be hard getting clients and people’s acceptance, yes! you don’t expect it to be smooth, it’s all part of business, you need to build yourself from somewhere, I had to start from somewhere, there were jobs I had to take then that now I wouldn’t take, there were friends I had to hang out with that I have discarded because they are not adding value to my life!
What do you plan to accomplish professional and personally in the next five years?
I won’t lie to you ooo, I want my daughter to go to the best university in the world. When I work, I work for my family, that’s the reason I have made my house so comfortable that I have my studio just around me. It’s so bad that my only social gathering is church and I find it hard to go out. I have Cable Television, my wife and my daughter around so if I need to know anything about the world, my cable television and internet solves it! So basically I just want us to grow together and as we get older, I pray that the things I desire from God come through for me because there are lots of things I need but more of the spiritual because we only scratch the surface. We only know the God that heals us, provides for us and all that. Photography puts bread on my table, that’s what I use to feed my family!
His view on Christians and knowledge
All over the world, only a few Christians are doing well! Information is very crucial, the Bible says my people perish for lack of knowledge, the Bible is not referring to Bible knowledge, it is referring to basic understanding and the quest for information. When you go to Dubai, we shout eh eh eh, are they Christians? NO! But they understand that knowledge and know how to harness it.
How do you relax?
If am not working, I watch football or am in front of the television but unfortunately Arsenal is making me cry but am not the kind of person that sticks to a club only when its smooth sailing, whether or not we are losing, I still remain a Gunner!
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