{"id":1164255,"date":"2022-06-10T08:57:38","date_gmt":"2022-06-10T08:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/06\/10\/influencers-block-they-mocked-us-as-twitter-photographers-but-they-see-the-vision-now-seyram\/"},"modified":"2022-06-10T08:57:38","modified_gmt":"2022-06-10T08:57:38","slug":"influencers-block-they-mocked-us-as-twitter-photographers-but-they-see-the-vision-now-seyram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/06\/10\/influencers-block-they-mocked-us-as-twitter-photographers-but-they-see-the-vision-now-seyram\/","title":{"rendered":"Influencers&#8217; Block: They mocked us as &#8216;Twitter photographers&#8217;, but they see the vision now &#8211; Seyram"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-text\" style=\"line-height: 2; letter-spacing: -0.5px;font-size: 18px;\">\n<p>                        <!--p class=\"ky_saved_articles_link\"><span class=\"ky_saved_articles_hide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\" class=\"ky_saved_articles_img\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"><\/span> Bookmark<\/p-->\n<p>It started as a hobby for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) graduate.<\/p>\n<p>When John Seyiram Kofi Amegatse Jr. initially developed an interest in capturing moments, he tested out his passion using the tools available to him.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1284726544&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true&#038;visual=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" frameborder=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It was a mobile phone at the time. Using various skills he had acquired from online video tutorials, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/__theSeyram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Seyram<\/a>, as he is widely called, would attempt to recreate images and take feedback by posting on Instagram.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udd25This Friday, I\u2019m excited to announce <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/__theSeyram?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@__theSeyram<\/a>, fast-rising photographer\ud83d\udcf8 as my debut guest on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/InfluencersBlock?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#InfluencersBlock<\/a>. The initiative on Myjoyonline seeks to highlight young creatives on social media pushing boundaries. \ud83d\udd17https:\/\/t.co\/lqTGDKFL2t<\/p>\n<p>Subtitling design: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ripe_organic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@ripe_organic<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LDxiZITDm8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/LDxiZITDm8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kenneth Awotwe Darko (@TheKennethDarko) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheKennethDarko\/status\/1534808685419106305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 9, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Animation in tweet above by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ripe_organic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ripe Organic<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>On the point of maximising what was at his disposal, he explained that he always turned to family for his models and his sister was always the first option.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost all my favourite works are of my sister,\u201d he told Myjoyonline.com over a Zoom interview. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_7724psd-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104924\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><figcaption>Seyram\u2019s sister became his first model, when he began his photography journey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cShe has always been my best subject but now we hardly shoot even though we are in the same house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was, however, not going to be a rosy trip for the self-taught craftsman.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"910\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/1K1A90851-910x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104944\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>He explained that \u201cI wasn\u2019t asking for help from people. I didn\u2019t even want to involve my parents so I was doing everything on my own. So I used to buy home-used stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In KNUST, he was hit with a barrage of financial catastrophes just when he was planning to take his talent to the next level.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1010\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Vibe-1010x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104934\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe time I bought it (the camera) everything was working. Immediately I got home and started trying it, at a point it would work but at another point, it would go off. I was so confused. I was like bro, I just bought this with the money I had saved for the semester, I starved myself for this\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_1448-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104922\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI decided to save again and bought another camera from a friend and it also had faults. They had changed the motherboard and I didn\u2019t know. I had to fix it for about three times and it was worrying me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For a college student spending his savings on photography, it was a crucial decision to take as to whether it was worth it to try again or let it go.<\/p>\n<p>He was not out of the woods just yet.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"987\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Coconut-Groove-Hotel-1024x987.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104921\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>In 2019, another series of unfortunate events tested his fate after his brand new camera was bought.<\/p>\n<p>Within the span of a week his laptop got destroyed, one of his expensive recently acquired lenses was broken by a roommate in addition to discovering that a camera that he had recently bought was a problematic one.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Nissan-2-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104933\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMy friend had spoilt my lens\u2026 my roommate had spoilt my laptop. My other roommate also destroyed my other lens. It was like things were happening to stop me from doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The losses that week alone amounted to about Ghs21,000.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt got to a time I told my friend I was stopping this but my friends were like, \u2018no,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Random views from Accra, Shot by me <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gfR5qsnZ5A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/gfR5qsnZ5A<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Seyram\ud83d\udcf8\ud83e\udd8d\u2728 (@__theSeyram) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/__theSeyram\/status\/1530988116751880196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 29, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 came with a tremendous shift in his career path. During the period, he had just extended his craft onto Twitter and was gradually amassing a few eyes towards his work.<\/p>\n<p>One of the photographs that changed the way he viewed the artform was of a set of match sticks rearranged to lean towards a candle, depicting the need for support especially in times of crisis.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_4321.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104923\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>The timing was great as many were looking to alternative means of hope in the face of threats from a virus which was wreaking havoc across the world.<\/p>\n<p>Seyram did not expect the reaction that greeted that post. This picture went viral.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Played around with a friends <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jeep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@Jeep<\/a> the other day\u2728 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WJVdXctTtE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pic.twitter.com\/WJVdXctTtE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Seyram\ud83d\udcf8\ud83e\udd8d\u2728 (@__theSeyram) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/__theSeyram\/status\/1533965781402263553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 7, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>For that and others reasons, he is glad to have found the micro-blogging social media platform.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m grateful to Twitter. If Twitter had not come, I don\u2019t know what I would have done, honestly. Twitter has really been of help to my creative journey.<\/p>\n<p>He made this revelation as part of a new series dubbed \u2018Influencers\u2019 Block\u2019 on Ghana\u2019s premier new hub, Myjoyonline.com.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/IMG_7897-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104925\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>The series is a new bi-monthly article geared towards throwing the spotlight on content creators who have made a name for themselves on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Three years down the line Seyram is credited with some of the most iconic pictures on social media.<\/p>\n<p>One of them is of the country\u2019s music sensation Black Sherif. If you have seen any photograph of Kweku Frimpong under the rains in a spotlight from the 3Music Awards, chances are that it was shot by this Seyram.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"807\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/368A6639-2-807x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104917\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>That image is now synonymous with the critically acclaimed Kweku The Traveller song.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"820\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/BLACKOOOOO-1-820x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104937\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>With drone piloting as his new love, he has developed a new knack for the bird\u2019s eye view of things.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"749\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Cape-Coast-1-749x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104920\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis job had really made me go to places I never thought I would go to and is still opening doors for me,\u201d he reveals.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Burj-Khalifa--683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104919\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>The shy but committed young man is not oblivious of the goodness that has accompanied his love for the art form.<\/p>\n<p>His fulfillment is in getting the right attention for his job.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not the kind of person that likes attention. I don\u2019t like attention. I just want recognition for my work. I don\u2019t care if someone knows me or not. I just want recognition for my work.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1010\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Vibe-1010x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\" class=\"wp-image-10032104934\"   title=\"Influencers' Block: They mocked us as 'Twitter photographers', but they see the vision now - Seyram\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>The old student of Pope John SHS takes inspiration from Kafui Praise and the late Bob Pixel.<\/p>\n<p>It is Seyram\u2019s dream to curate an ecosystem of photographers with the aim of changing the lens through which the African continent is viewed.<\/p>\n<p>If any of his recent works are anything to go by, he has indeed got his eyes on the ball.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n<p><em>All images provided by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/__theSeyram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Seyiram Kofi Amegatse Jr.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>*****<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The author, Kenneth Awotwe Darko is a journalist and social media analyst<\/strong><\/em>, <em><strong>arts<\/strong><\/em> <strong><em>and tech enthusiast.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Follow him on Twitter via\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheKennethDarko\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@TheKennethDarko<\/a> on Facebook, Kenneth Awotwe Darko<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Email: Kenneth.darko@myjoyonline.com<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>                <!-- Post Tags --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/influencers-block-they-mocked-us-as-twitter-photographers-but-they-see-the-vision-now-seyram\/\">Source<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It started as a hobby for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) graduate. When John Seyiram Kofi Amegatse Jr. initially developed an interest in capturing moments, he tested out his passion using the tools available to him. It was a mobile phone at the time. Using various skills he had acquired from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1164257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[947,13281,3608,14125,17012,136,5545],"class_list":["post-1164255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-block","tag-influencers","tag-mocked","tag-photographers","tag-seyram","tag-twitter","tag-vision"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1164255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1164255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1164255\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1164255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1164255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1164255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}