Female Gaze: Efe (Nancy Afua Agyeman)
PICHA Grant Program Awardee
It is 2022. Summer brought the sun out with smiles, thrills and a lot of heat. So is PICHA back with a diversified array of authentic stock photos and the August announcement of the recipients of the 2022 edition of the PICHA Grant Program.
Sharing beautiful aesthetics aligned with passion and dedication, to using photography to tell the stories that matter to them, we introduce Nancy Afua Agyeman (aka 'Efe'), one of four grantees for this year's PICHA Grant Program and one of two winners for the Female Gaze category.
Nancy Afua Agyeman is a lover of adventure and tryer of new things. At 23 years, this young photographer living in Accra, Ghana delves into an exploration of nature, lifestyle and other types of photography.
As a woman in photography, she tends to look at what most people ignore or never deem useful. Thinking out loud to the PICHA team in a short interview, she shares a piece of her with us.
Download Efe's paintbrush image
“Growing up, my parents used to take our family photographs. My mother was always with the camera, waiting for an amazing moment to capture us as babies. She captured nearly every important phase. Your first grip on an object, first step, your first day at school etc. She would print them out and date them into an album specifically for you.
When I started out as a photographer, I thought these were very odd to capture but to her they were moments to reminisce on. According to her, they are the tiny details that make life memorable.
Looking back on her views on photography, I now feel like I have this sense of candid photography; my images capture people, without any preconceived thoughts…..I capture them just being themselves.”
Catching up with Nancy after she received the news of the award, we asked her a few questions;
P: What theme did you choose and why?
N: I chose the theme “Female Gaze” because it is relatable and my life is filled with extraordinary women who inspire me, in one way or another. The female gaze theme coincides with how best I want to illustrate that inspiration.
P: What was the first thing you did when you found out you got the Grant?
N: "Honestly, I did not expect to win at all but when I did, I had to muffle my screams because I was in public, (lol). I then told my family and everyone was excited for me.
P: What does getting the Grant mean to you?
N: Getting the Grant means a lot! First of all it's something I wanted to do in honour of my late grandmother. Secondly it's a life story in imagery which is the best way I know to tell the story. I may not be able to write a book but at least a picture is worth a thousand words.
Download Efe's threaded hair image
P: What is next? Efe will be shooting her stock photo collection concept for the Female Gaze in the coming months which will be put up on our website. Follow our page to keep you posted on Female Gaze Collection.
About the PICHA Grant Program
At PICHA, we believe that authentic stories can change perceptions, that the visual stock content we provide, can shape the narrative around Africans, and the larger African diaspora.
Started in 2021, The PICHA Grant Program is a space for our community to learn and grow in storytelling while creating visual stock content that resonates with the communities they represent. Learn more about the PICHA Grant Program and this year's Grant themes.