Reaffirming the place of photography as both art and enterprise, the 2025 Business of Photography Conference (BOP) unpacked how creatives can build businesses while maintaining artistic integrity.
With this year’s theme “The Art of Enterprise”, the five-day transformative event which was held in Lagos recently brought together leading voices across photography, fashion, media, wellness, and business.
The BOP 2025, which showcased as a hub of dynamic dialogue and collaboration, sparking conversations on how visual storytelling fuels industries from fashion to media, featured diverse panel sessions that equipped creatives with the knowledge, skills, and networks to thrive in today’s evolving creative economy.
The keynote speakers at the conference, powered by ACM, included Hon. Aisha Adamu Augie, Oladipo-Adetayo Babalola of the National Gallery of Art, and Scott C. Eneje, who presented an international report on the Nigerian photography industry.
At the heart of BOP 2025 were conversations and curated sessions that examined the realities of building a sustainable creative career. Speakers, including Emmanuel Manne of Manneshotit Photography, Ayo Makinwa, Olayiwola Oladehinde of Ovaris Global Resources, Olamide Adenuga (Assistant PRO, Lagos State Professional Photographers Association of Nigeria), and Koutchik a Lihouenou of Gaspo Studios, shared personal experiences on mentorship, creative identity, innovation, and community building, leaving participants with practical and inspiring insights.
The panel discussions explored themes of sustainability, branding, and cross-industry collaboration. Other standout sessions included “Creative Collaborations: The Future of Shared Genius” with Clarence Peters, Ryan Onifoto Alabi, Emeka Amafor and Mai Atafo, which emphasised the power of partnerships, and “Legacy Over Hype: Building for the Long Game,” where Dayo Adedayo, Kelechi Amadi-Obi and Lanre Da Silva championed sustainability and longevity as pillars of creative success.
In his remark, BOP Convener Kola Oshalusi expressed gratitude to partners, investors, participants, and the BOP team for making the 2025 edition a success. “BOP is not just about attending sessions; it is about applying what you’ve learned and building a future for the industry,” he said.
The conference also featured Masterclass series, which offered deep-dive training in wellness, branding, digital storytelling, pitching and presentation, financial sustainability, and legal considerations.
Deborah Okoloigwe, Business Development and Project Manager for BOP 2025, added: “Our vision for BOP 2025 was to create a platform that didn’t just inspire but equipped participants with practical skills, networks and clarity to grow their businesses. This year’s edition showed us what’s possible when creativity meets enterprise.”
