First i must say if you havent seen the Dream wedding pix by Xsightn then you should immediately after reading this.

Xsightn photography is as exciting as the name ... yea, lol.

Our team met with Kayode Martins of Xsightn and he calmly opened up on his passion for photography and how he entered the field, you can visibly notice the change in his tone and the sense of excitement and contentment as he talked to us{photography} about his passion. His story is a journey of an ordinary Nigerian young man who went to the university like we  well almost all of us did lol, he attended the University of Ibadan where he studied Adult education, then he had the least interest in photography, not until he surfed the internet only to stumble on the work of Joe Buissink (www.joebuissink.com), an American award winning celebrity and destination-wedding photographer. Buissink’s work was so powerful and so emotional, it changed Kayode Martins life, forever. Read on . . .
 

NMW: May we meet you, also tell us how & when you entered into photography?
Kayode: I never was a “photography person,” so much so that when I was getting married a few years back, I didn’t hire a photographer. Waoh... couldn’t really be bothered. I got a friend to shoot with his camera and this singular act continues to hunt me on a daily basis. Lol. Later stumbled across the website of a guy who later became my major source of inspiration, Joe Buissink. I couldn’t believe this was wedding photography. His work was so emotional and inspiring, totally different from the sort of wedding photography I was used to seeing here in Nigeria. He has remained one of my sources of inspiration. I purchased my first camera about a week after seeing his work. Joe Buissink is currently one of the top wedding photographers in the world. Photography for me started in late 2008.

NMW:  You are now a name internationally, how did you (make the jump) beyond the borders of Nigeria?
Kayode: My first trip outside Nigeria on a shoot was actually a personal portfolio I was building. I made up my mind, I needed to juice up my portfolio to be able to compete internationally and that’s how it started. I haven’t looked back ever since. The quality of the people I was able to meet, network with and the quality of the portfolio I was able to put together, has worked magic for my Xsightn brand.

NMW: Why wedding photographs?
Kayode: Because they are emotional, because people love weddings, because this is the happiest day of the couple’s life, because this is actually the day the bride will ever look so gorgeous in her life. I love connecting with brides. If you follow my work on my blog, you will know I usually give a lot of preference to brides when I shoot.

NMW: What keeps the fire burning within you because you seem to have been in this business for years?
Kayode: Just three years, really. Most people think I have been in the industry forever. You know that saying “find something you love doing and you won’t have to work for the rest of your life”, that really is it. I love photography and am just blessed to be able to get paid doing what I love.

NMW: (You are still a new! (Laughs)) What is your educational background?
Kayode: I am a graduate of the University of Ibadan and I have attended the Senior Management Programme at the Lagos Business School.

NMW: Are there any individuals that you believe have influenced you and your work?
Kayode: Mostly international figures because of the style of my work but I do love the work of a number of Nigerian photographers. My inspiration comes from people, from the environment, from television and from life itself.

NMW: (You mentioned earlier that you were married.) [H]ow do you balance these two jobs especially if you have to travel outside the country regularly?
Kayode: I’m married with 2 great kids {boys}. My wife is the other half of the Xsightn brand and she fully supports me. If you have ever called the Xsightn number, you have spoken to Tosin, my wife. I spend a lot of time with my family when am not on assignment.

NMW: Tell us something unique about Nigerian weddings? What makes them stand out so much that majority of your work is done on Nigerian weddings apart from the fact that you are Nigerian?
Kayode: The richness and authenticity of our culture/tradition stands out above everything else. The really beautiful part is that we have so many diverse cultures. Shooting a Yoruba wedding is very different from a Delta wedding. I was in Delta recently to shoot the wedding of The Rewanes, it was my first time in Delta and I was simply blown away by all things Delta. The event was totally different from what I was used to and it turned out to be one of the best weddings I ever shot. That’s the beauty of being a wedding photographer. You get to travel, to see and interact with different cultures.

NMW: Do you see photography as a challenge monetarily, especially in weddings?
Kayode: Know the basics and you will be fine. Personally I think you get what you pay for.

NMW: In your opinion, what is the level of quality photography in Nigeria? Is it stagnant or developing?
Kayode: Photography is really developing in Nigeria. While we are still a long way to go, locally, in terms of equipment and structure, Nigerian photographers based outside Nigeria are already operating at par with their international colleagues. Digital has made the barrier to entering into photography very low, but photographers don’t appear to be mastering the basics before they “slap on” the tag of professional photographer. A number of young Nigerian photographers are really doing amazing things locally though. . .

NMW: Can you try and explain the chemistry you have with photography and especially in weddings because you seem to have some intense passion for the art.
Kayode: Hmmm, I love to say it’s a spiritual connection, really. I get very emotional when I shoot weddings. It’s almost like I enter what Joe Buissink calls the “Zen zone” when I shoot. I try to document every single scene because the day is so special and the bride isn’t able to see and experience everything for herself. I want to be able to take pictures that 10 years from now, the memory and joys of the wedding can still be re-lived.

NMW: Do you think there is more you can do in your field or are you content with the way things are?
Kayode: I get a number of requests from young and new photographers to learn my style of photography on a daily basis; but unfortunately I think am not quite ready to teach. But in the near future, I want to be able to teach wedding photography with emphasis on photojournalism. However, I am content with photography a 100%.

NMW: How was the Namywedding-dreamwedding experience for you covering the first celeb dream wedding – Obiwon?
Kayode: I was excited to have the first hand approach from such a great well renowned team, so I took the leap of partnering with them on the wedding moreso because it is a celeb wedding.
It was fun working with them and because they have high expectations of me I stand to impress them , lol.

NMW: Don’t you ever get tired? How do you relax?
Kayode: I try to keep in shape by running a lot. I currently run between 7-10 miles a week. I love movies and spending quality time with my beautiful family. I also see my job as fun so its relaxing too.. lol

NMW: Do you always catch the special moments during weddings?
Kayode: I like to think I do. I shoot over 3000 images a wedding just because I don’t want to miss anything. I have been known to shoot 5,000 plus images at a particular wedding just because everything was just so beautiful.

So now see the pix http://www.namywedding.com/nkechi-weds-obiora/photo-gallery/church-wedding/ and check out his site www.xsightn.com .

You can also contact him specially on 08033051621.