Serendipity - London

I was having coffee with a friend in Shoreditch when Obanijesu walked into the café. In a suit that looked straight out of a 1970s or ’80s African portrait studio, he certainly stood out.

I approached him and asked if he’d be interested in having his portrait taken. As luck would have it, he was already a model. We arranged to meet at a friend’s studio, with one request from me: bring that suit.

Originally from Nigeria, Obanijesu had a simple, effortless style that I loved. I wanted to explore a more editorial, fashion-led approach, and he felt like the perfect person to experiment with.

I squeezed three setups into the small space: a pink background, a calico backdrop and a black cloth. We had a couple of hours to play with light, colour and movement, and it was fascinating to see how many different characters emerged. A change in lighting, a turn of his head or a shift in posture, and suddenly there was someone quite different looking back through the lens.

All from going out for a coffee and saying hello.