Soteeoh – real name Adeyemi Adegbesan – captures vibrant, restless, dramatic images of his city. This esthetic has earned him a following on Instagram (@soteeoh has more than 60,000 followers), and major brands like Adidas, Lululemon and Chevrolet tap him to shoot their ad campaigns.
For Soteeoh, Instagram is more than a social platform – it’s the reason he committed to photography as a career. “I’d dabbled in it before, but in 2012 I started shooting consistently, because of the ease and convenience of [the platform],” says the selftaught photographer.
In his personal work, Soteeoh captures what he loves about Toronto: its people and its unique spaces. “I want to explore and get to know the city on a more intimate level, and to connect with
people who are contributing in a way that’s unique or inspiring,” he says.
He’s also giving back to the community. A former youth worker, Soteeoh now mentors young people through photography workshops. “The creative life can be isolating, especially if you do a lot of commercial work,” he says. “Getting involved with the city in that way keeps things flowing. It’s a good counterbalance to everything else.”
“This article originally appeared in Spring 2018 of The Lens.”
