Inspiring Photography - Oumar Ly

Every once in a while you stumble on a gem, and you can't help but wonder how come you never knew about it. It's as if the whole world, or a lucky few were hiding a very wonderful secret from you. In these cases I go back to the good ole saying of better late than never - it's a very comforting thought. Today, watching Senegal TV they were doing short documentaries of local artists. One of them caught my eye immediately.

This handsome man here is Oumar Ly a genius photographer!  The program was in french, therefore I couldn't understand much of what they were saying, but the beauty of art is you don't need to speak the language of the artist for his/her work to touch your soul. He is from Podor, Senegal and has been taking photos since 1963. He has just recently been getting recognition by the international art community - a much deserved recognition.  I can't get over how wonderful the composition of his photos are, with little or no props, just everyday people wearing their everyday cloths in regular surroundings. He makes the regular extra special.

I was immediately drawn to his work, and I could't help smiling every time his face was shown on the screen. There is a sweetness about his face that made me want to know him immediately, and even more so his work.

Some of them reminded me of old photos I used to see in relatives and friends homes growing up. For an African girl living abroad, I was immediately nostalgic and missing my sweet grandmother even more than usual.

I am only sorry that I didn't find out about Oumar Ly sooner, but his work will forever stay with me. And now my dream is to own  a collection of his photos. As you can see, his work is beautiful and I encourage you look him up and learn about this very talented man. Happy Friday!

(Images: 1 Lomography 2 Lomography 3 Lomography 4 Lomography 5 Oumar-Ly 6 Oumar-Ly 7 Oumar Ly; 8 Oumar Ly)