Daniel Sery’s work by far stands apart from most of the model photographers in Africa, speaking outside of South Africa where I have limited knowledge of the work and talents of the many photographers there. But for the remaining 51 or so African countries, there is no doubt that Daniel is beacon of great talent and his work is soon to ignite in the anglophone sectors of Africa.
The Ivory Coast / Cote d’Ivoire based photographer who developed his photography skills in LA, California, recently moved to Africa a little over 3 years ago. Ever since then, he has produce shots of models as of that one will see in any editorial spread. Despite his struggle to find great models and good agencies to work with, his website and facebook page is consistently update with jaw dropping images.
What is even more impressive is his recently launched studio, in which we were sent exclusive images for. Although, it’s not so exclusive now as it took myself a while before publishing this story. Nevertheless, it is an impressive studio, and a great stage for entertainment, especially for fashion in Ivory Coast. See images below and more of Daniels work here.
One issue with various countries in Africa, and even with some agencies in Europe and America is building the editorial books of black skinned models. A lot of agencies usually send their models to South Africa in order to get a head start in great editorial images for their portfolio. This is something good agents I know in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and some European countries have done.
With more and more African photographers, some developing here and some coming back from abroad, putting their skills into the fashion industry in Africa. Some costs and expenses may begin to reduce for the development of African models in Africa. Also, we should possibly look forward to great editorial spreads in due time. See images below and more of Daniels work here.