Photography - The Risk That Paid Off

Looking back to the previous year that just ended a few years ago, I've got to say it was one heck of an adventure. Starting off pretty slow from my perspective, 2025 took a crazy swerve that has even earned it the title of my most memorable year so far. There have been series of unexpected positives, silly mistakes that have both shoved me into celebratory mood or close to a collapse. I got to try new things, discover more about myself, got out of my comfort zone and really put myself out there to achieve true growth. The year may not have ended the way I envisioned it but reflecting back to how it all turned out, the accomplishments accumulated shows it was truly a blessing.

Taking risk was a major that determined the direction of the entire year and I don't even regret doing so despite a lot of them having negative outcomes. From deciding to apply for the post of a teacher at the most prestigious school in my vicinity to participating in online trading, the year was filled with making risky decisions. A lot of the choices made ended up becoming lessons learned to guide me through the next phase of my life. Nothing beats watching your hard work bare fulfilling outcome and for 2025 the biggest risk I can remember making was choosing a Saed skill while I was still in camp.

Right after I was swore in as a full fledge corp member, the pressure of choosing the right SAED skill to learn while in camp weighed on me badly. The thought of picking something that would benefit me even after my service year dominated my thoughts and indecisiveness troubled me for days. A lot of people went with the crowd, engaged in something they were already good at or just did something easy believing the entire training wasn't worth the stress. I knew I wanted to join the photography section but was scared it would just be another waste of time without learning a single thing since I had neither a camera or a laptop to practice on after classes and to make matters worse none of the guys I know wanted to join the photography group as well due to the negative reviews they got from guys who just left the camp so choosing it looked like a very wrong move.

After deliberating on it for weeks I decided to just enroll for the photography class since that was what my heart wanted from the start. On the very first of the class, I arrived late and had no choice but to sit far from where the instructor stood. The whole thing seemed to be a buzz until the instructor said he was going to start with teaching us how to maximize our phones to produce top pictures and cameras. Initially I thought only the guys with iPhones would benefit from this but to my greatest surprise he said he needed a Redmi phone for a demonstration and luckily for me I was the only person with one in the entire class. I was dragged all the way to the front and he showed how to really properly utilize my camera. From that very day I became his personal aide helping him with errands while getting extra information even after classes. Training lasted for a little over a week but the knowledge I gathered made it seem like I have been taking lessons for months.

The three weeks of being isolated in Ikare Akoko camp Ondo state was up before we know it and by then my confidence in taking good pictures was already through the roof. I arrived in Igbokoda with a hobby of taking random pictures and videos which I posted on the group frequently and because of this interest alone I was made the head of media and publicity even without applying for the position. I intend to take this skill to the next level, apply for classes where I can learn how to use a real camera properly before the year runs out and hopefully this might be the start of something beautiful. When asked if I could take this same risk over again, my answer would always remain a big fat YES acknowledging the benefits I've gotten from it. Not only has it brought out an interest I never knew laid dormant inside of me, I have also been able to combat the traces of socio phobia that has been a major problem for years. If I had not taken that leap even when everything screamed terrible choice, I wouldn't have known what I know now so yeah I am sticking with this choice even if I have to make it again in another life.... Gracias