(3/12) “I sold all my possessions. I even let go of my...

(3/12) “I sold all my possessions. I even let go of my apartment. But still it was not enough for a camera. So I turned to my mother for help. She sold second-hand clothes for a living. She knew nothing about photography. But when I told her a camera would help me be a father, she trusted me. She took out a loan and we purchased a budget model. It wasn’t professional quality. But I was so proud of it. I wore it around my neck like a shoeshine boy, so people would say: ‘Look! Here comes a photographer!’ I was determined to learn everything about photography, but it wasn’t really a thing in Ghana. There were no fellowships, or workshops, or grants. It was hard to find a single photography book. I spent hours in the internet café, watching online tutorials from overseas. I committed to taking 200 photos per day. It became like a form of therapy for me. There was so much in my life I couldn’t talk about, but this was a way to express myself. It took me away from all my thinking. My mother sat for me while I practiced my portraits. But my favorite subject was Ella. I documented all the times we spent together, every time we went to the park, or went on a walk. She loved posing for photos. And for the first time I noticed that she was beginning to look like me. But it was more than just looks. There was so much of me in her. She couldn’t sit still. She’d ask so many questions. I bought her a journal and she filled up the pages with thoughts. Thoughts I never knew she had. It was beautiful to see, but it was scary too. Because she was getting more complex. And so were her needs. Ella told me that her dream was also to become a photographer, so that she could photograph animals. Some nights we’d flip through old National Geographic magazines, looking at animals. And whenever we found an interesting article, I’d google the photographer. That’s how I first learned about the job of ‘photojournalist.’ It seemed like the perfect life: going everywhere, travelling, telling important stories. Stories that could educate people, and change minds. As a young boy I’d dreamed of making a difference in the world. But then I became a father. Maybe this was a chance to do both.”