Happy Monday everyone!
Today I'm interviewing a world class wedding photographer whose talent sees him travelling across the globe to capture once in a lifetime moments. Read on as he shares his ambitions, inspirations and recipe for success in this awe inspiring interview.
Name:Bandele
Age:32
Birthplace:Birmingham, UK
Where do you live now?
If you asked my family or friendsmany would say I live out of a suitcase due to the amount of time I spend travelling overseas. Africa and the Caribbean increasingly feel like home but for the most part I remain in Birmingham.
Education:
I have a BEng Degree in Automotive Engineering.
What was your very first job?
My local corner shop offered me my first ‘break’ stacking shelves. The take home salary was £18 per week including bonuses! You have to start somewhere right?
What is your current job?
International Wedding Photographer.
What was your dream job as a child and why?
There were probably a few dream jobs I considered as a child. Race car driver was definitely in the mix as was a truck driver after seeing those huge American trucks in Hollywood movies. I also wanted to be a singer too but if you heard my vocals you’d understand why it was only ever going to be a childhood dream.
What is your dream job now and why?
Doing what I’m doing now whilst getting bigger and better! Photography brings out the best in me and there is so much more I want to accomplish with it.
Tell us about your business?
Bandele Zuberi Photography specialises in wedding photography with a desire to create stylish, fashion-inspired imagery for clients around the world.
What inspired you to set this business up?
In early 2007 I closed down my portrait studio and spent the next few months in limbo pondering my future direction and whether I still wanted photography to be a part of it. To help me arrive at a decision I threw caution to the wind and flew to Paris to attend a five-day workshop from one of America’s leading wedding photographers Scott Robert Lim. It was a life-changing experience and in those short few days I rediscovered my passion for photography and decided on my future direction. A few months later Bandele Zuberi Photography was born.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to set up their own business?
Setting up a business is risky, time-consuming and will take up a lot of your energy and resources. Surround yourself with like-minded successful people and find those that will help guide and bring out the best in you and therefore your business. The truth is you simply can’t do it alone. That’s why every great sports person has a coach, that’s why a President or Prime Minister has advisors and why great actors have a director to bring out their best.
What are you enjoying about running your own business?
Being in control of my own destiny.
What is the best advice you have been given?
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Who is your inspiration/role model and why?
I truly find inspiration in everyone who is a part of my life: a close friend who is just about to complete her medical degree, the couple I photographed renewing their vows after fifty years of marriage, Bob Marley for enlightening the world with his music, my family and friends who give me so much encouragement and support. I find inspiration in everyone I meet, everywhere I go, and everything I experience.
My role models are those people who exhibit some characteristic I admire and try to emulate. I therefore have many role models, each excelling in their own way or a particular field. In photography it is my mentors Scott Robert Lim and Matthew Jordan Smith who have both reached the top of their game, produced photography at the highest level, and yet are so humble and giving as individuals.
For sheer hard work and determination, my Mother, who has been uncompromising in the pursuit of a better future for herself and her children.
When I find it hard doing a testing piece of work or training, Muhammed Ali becomes a role model and I will repeat his quote “I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as achampion." The great thing is you can find role models everywhere not only in the present but in the past too. Many have been gifted to me with the study of my history.
What is the key to a successful life/career?
I am still working on my recipe to a successful life/career so I can only offer a few personal ingredients I’ve come up with over the years:
- Keep family, friends and those people who are supportive of your dreams and goals close and everyone else at a safe distance.
- Keep fit and healthy in the physical and more importantly in the mind.
- Your life partner (husband or wife) is your most powerful ally in this journey of life so choose them carefully and make them an integral part of your dreams and aspirations.
- Travel often, it will give you an insight into how the world really works, expose you to other cultures and give you the best education ever!
- Don’t let materialism be your sole motivation or determine your worth.
- Time is your most precious commodity so don’t spend it on things that won’t add value to your life.
- Make your home a happy one, it should be a place that offers respite from what can often be a harsh and unforgiving world.
- Be open to change and never stop learning.
- Be charitable and help others to achieve their own success. Remember ‘The service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.’
- Pursue excellence in everything you do and never settle for average.
Here are some samples of Bandele's amazing photography:
To find out more you can visit;
