Meeting Dr Sola Sanusi, you cannot miss the air of serenity, as well as the remarkable sense of readiness, about him. It is as if behind that cool mien is a man who is drilled into Boy Scout motto―Be prepared. Sola Sanusi was never a member of the Boy Scout but he says his upbringing, coupled with over 35 years of medical practice, has helped hone his instincts and nothing is ever sprung on him. For someone who has practiced medicine in different parts of the world, you cannot think yourself wrong if you see him as a man who found his passion and has given it all it deserves. However, you may just be wrong. Infact, if you think that way, you are definitely wrong because beyond medicine, this Ibadan born gentleman has had a longer relationship with photography. Yes, you read that right―photography.
Always wearing a faint smile, Soft spoken Sanusi chooses his words gently and is always intentional with his words, and there is always that extra light in his eyes when he discusses photography. Young Sanusi was introduced to photography, as an extra curriculum activity, while in secondary school at the Bishop Philips Academy, Ibadan. The school, at that time, made sure that every student graduated from the school, armed with a trade skill. This U.S based family medicine specialist announces proudly that since he caught the bug of photography as a young boy, he has never looked back.
For someone who passed through the rigorous training of medical school, it is interesting to know that while Sola was a student at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, he was inseparable from his camera. Infact, he recalls that it was while in medical school that he really developed his photography skills. “I got my first camera when I was 13 years old and ever since I have never dropped it. Anybody that knew me would always remember with a camera. Whether as a medical student or even as a doctor, people knew me as the guy with the camera. Actually, I never enjoy being in front of the camera, instead I am happier and at home behind the camera.”
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Dr Sanusi the brain behind Sanusi Studios, Nigeria’s number one premium boutique photography, videography studio and print shop located on Victoria Island says he’s always been interested in the technological development and growth of photography. According to him, the attention to details, especially the technical aspect of the trade marks him different from the crowd. “Photography goes beyond just checking the shutters and clicking away. I have always been interested in technology and how this can be leveraged to produce more efficient, beautiful and fantastic products. Photographs are products and the process of getting the final products cannot be compromised in any way. I do not shy from investing good money in getting necessary and latest equipment and tools for the job”.
He cites an instance when he felt there was a technological gap in photography. Then, there was no camera that could focus by itself and function like the human eye. So when the first auto-focus camera was developed by Minolta in 1981, Sola shouted eureka! Though only in his third year in medical school, Sola knew he had to get this latest piece of equipment. Though photography was just a hobby, yet the young medical student’s passion was remarkable. Determined to get this new wonder of a camera, Sola applied for, and got a visa to Saudi Arabia, and by the weekend he was on a plane to Saudi Arabia to go and buy this newest jewel in the world of photography.
Sola recalls that he bought the camera and pronto, he was back in Lagos, couple of hours later. With this new ‘toy’, he fed his passion more than ever as he took loads of pictures, developed and printed developed them free of charge. Hear him: “at this time, I just wanted, and had, to shoot someone or something every time. I was always with my camera and I took loads and loads of pictures. And, I wasn’t storing any of the pictures. I’ll just shoot, develop and print, and I move on. Photography for me, at this time, was not about Naira and Kobo. I was just enjoying myself”.
A well-travelled cosmopolitan par excellence, Sola was born in Ibadan, schooled in Ibadan and later at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, started his residency programme in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and finished at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan. The mandatory youth service was in Benin, and thereafter he worked in Port Harcourt as a medical doctor while the city of Kano remains one of his most favourite places in Nigeria. When the opportunity came for Dr Sanusi to relocate to the United Kingdom, his decision was based on the desire to get the best specialist training and technology available in medicine, the opportunity of easy access to latest ideas, developments, innovations and publications on photography was also a cardinal factor in choosing to relocate to the UK with his family. Today, Dr Sanusi is a practicing physician based in Texas, USA
Dr Sanusi is committed to training and developing a new generation of sound and well skilled photographers who will understand and appreciate the complex demands of the trade, and be able to hold their own anywhere in the world. This, coupled with his desire to offer world class service to different categories of clients, led to the opening of Sanusi Studios, the self-styled Lagos’ go-to photography studio on Adeola Hopewell street in the vibrant business and residential axis of Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria. The studio services walk-in customers that come in for imaging, and also handles on-location services and projects. Sanusi Studios counts government agencies, brand communication agencies, international organisations, royalties, celebrities, public figures and individuals as some of its clients. In addition, the studio has one of the biggest imaging archive, a storage capacity that can be used by organisations and individuals who want their images digitally stored and professionally protected.
It is interesting to know that at a point in the life of this photography aficionado, he contemplated dropping the camera. “It got to a juncture that I felt photography, as a passion, was beginning to affect my medical practice. Moreover, I had acquired a wide array of equipment that even a professional photographer would be envious of. So, I decided to list all the equipment for sale on e-bay”. However, a little introspection made him realize that though just a hobby, photography means so much to him. He says “Suddenly and without being untrue to myself, I came to know and accept that photography was not just a hobby. It was much more than that. Photography calms and soothes me. It is a worthy and satisfying gap filler for me. It takes me away from the normal redundancies of life. Instead of lying on the sofa watching television or lazing all over the place, especially when I am not on call, my camera fills me up in ways I can’t even describe”
A stickler for excellence, Dr Sanusi believes that there are no limitations to what can be achieved especially when it comes to imaging. Photography to him is more than just taking pictures. It is an art because a photographer paints with light and not brush. A good photographer, he would remind you, must always be critical of what he produces. A good photographer should not just click away and mesmerize with flashes. “As a photographer, you must get the right information before you start shooting. Ask what the image is for. You need to always think of the image before approaching the subject. The camera is a tool, and a very complex one at that. What produces excellent images is not the tool but the person behind the tool. It is the skills of the person behind the camera that makes what comes out what it is”. A firm believer in the Nigerian project, Dr Sanusi enthuses that this country has what it takes to be great. “Nigeria, with a combination of right leadership, direction, focus and sense of purpose, can come out excellent like a well taken picture by a skilled photographer behind a camera”
