Local Artist Profiles: Tola Osokoya

Artist Tola Osokoya

By Tatiana Enriquez

Get to know local artist Tola Osokoya and marvel at his shots of the proverbial “Big Apple” with his own Apple: iPhone, that is.

Chase Jervais said “the best camera in the world is the one that’s with you”. Tola Osokoya is certainly making magic with his iPhone camera. The selfie-addict’s dream- machine sits unassumingly in his pocket. However, when Tola takes it into his hands, it becomes a weapon of mass seduction. The right angle, the right lighting,Â a burst of flash, and a moment is captured forever. Siri may need a cig after all this excitement!

More about Tola

Tola was born in Lagos, Nigeria on January 9th, 1981 and immigrated with his family to the United States thereafter. Growing up,Â Tola didn’t have much interest in photography. He recently started photography as a hobby and discovered his passion for capturing beautiful and interesting imagery through the lens. He decided to use his iPhone to snap shots and Snapseed for editing. Tola’s inspiration comes from his love of architecture. He confesses “I slowly gravitated towards landscape and scenery photography. I see a concept of what’s going on in the moment and I try to capture it as I see fit. I’ve always been fascinated by high rises as well as old cathedrals. Everywhere I go I always keep my eyes peeled looking for something out of the norm. I pay attention to details and this is what often drives me to take the next shot. From how light bounces off an object or building, to rhythm and patterns that the wind creates in the sand, everything all around me inspires me”. Tola’s captivating work has been featured on several sites including miamism.com, artofmiami.com and instagramersgallery.com. He has also garnered many followers and fans on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Tola believes thatÂ “Miami has a great art scene that’s been around for ages. Unfortunately, it’s only in certain areas and it’s overwhelmed by the night life the city offers. Therefore, not a lot of youth are interested in it. If more awareness is pumped into the city via social media, I believe it can make a strong push in the growth of art for today’s youth.”

He also offers these words to new artists on the scene, “In my opinion,Â art is subjective but also has to have visual aesthetic. For anyone that’s just starting off, that would be my advice to them. Believe in what you are doing and make sure it’s pleasing to the eye”.

So, what’s next for Tola? He says, “at the current time I’m perfecting my skill. I have a love for monographic photography, I think that’s what I want to get into next. I am also currently in talks with Polaroid about their current project Fotolab”.