"Make the necessary plans, set goals but understand that the things that really matter, are out of your hands."
Toyin Sokefun-Bello, who is better known as TY Bello, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, photographer and philanthropist. Prior to pursuing a solo career, she was a member of the now defunct gospel band Kush. Bello is currently a member of the Nigerian photography collective, Depth of Field. She has released the albums Greenland (2008), The Future (2011), The Morning Songbook (2014), Africa Awake (
"Art is about collecting experiences and expressing them. For me music and photography are similar art forms. I collect experiences, stir them in myself and express it in my own language. Just like my photography, music is my language."
"“In God’s presence, hope is re-birthed…always. In worship, we see Him as He is and He sprinkles us with grace to see how beautiful we are.”"
"I didnt think I made a great image, when the photographs landed for the first time on social media, everyone immediately thought she was a model."
"I think what makes me a good portrait photographer is that I really see people. The moment I know I’m photographing someone, I already see them in their most beautiful state. Before I make the image, I already know the image and I aspire to that. Sometimes, it’s just an impression in my heart about who they are."
"Meeting and photographing her has inspired us all and we can’t wait for the good that will come to her from all of this to unfold . She doesn’t speak English well but here ,she was explaining how she found us . I had sent an assistant , as many of you advised ,to leave a message with the people in the area where we photographed her…"
"It has been a joy to share my knowledge but more than anything, I think I have been inspired by the amount of growth many of the participants in such a short time have garnered. And that says many things, one of which is that if we have more and more of stuffs like this, we can push the quality and they type of photography that is coming out of Nigeria forward. I love the fact that this is a workshop for women. I mean this (the project) is a way to have a voice and I am so glad that I have seen people who came here at the beginning with works of a certain kind, now being able to push forward on their own ideas and their own perspective of things. I think that is important and it has been a tremendously incredible workshop. I don’t think I have experienced anything like this."