Until a few years ago, Olajumoke Orisaguna was just another mother in a small village struggling to put food on the table for her two kids.
In fact, the 27-year-old hairstylist from Ire, Nigeria, was so desperate for cash that she left her kids with her husband and moved to Lagos to work in a relative’s bakery. That frantic move turned into the catalyst that launched Olajumoke into stardom!
Olajumoke was selling bread in a village one day when she accidentally wandered into the shot of a professional photographer. Ty Bello was there capturing images of British rapper Tinie Tempah, and at first, he didn’t see anything special about the confused young woman photobombing his shot.
“Some people asking her to leave the set and others asking her to stay. I signaled [to ask] if it was OK to take her photograph and she agreed, and I pressed on my shutter so she could move ahead,” he explained. “I was wrong to have paid her such little attention. Every frame with her in it was perfect.”
It wasn’t until later that Ty realized he’d done what all photographers dream of: He’d discovered a “natural” model! Wanting to take more pictures of the charming stranger, he posted her photo on Instagram and asked the internet to work its magic to track her down.
“She definitely should be a model. I’m happy to help her build her portfolio if she’s interested,” he wrote on Instagram.
Days later, he found out her name and got in touch!
Ty did a photo shoot with Olajumoke, which later wound up on the cover of a Nigerian magazine called This Day Style. Olajumoke even got to pose with her daughter, 14-month-old Grace.
“As always it was her eyes and of course her perfectly chiseled features that jumped out at you when she chuckled,” Ty said later. “This lady belonged in front of my camera.”
The photographer said he “knew we had found a star” the second Olajumoke stepped in front of his lens the second time. Thanks to the gorgeous photos, the mom went on to sign a modeling contract with Few Model Management!
We’re so glad it’s easier for Olajumoke to support her family now! Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
Share this story to wish Olajumoke lots of success in her new career.
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