Felix ‘Crown’ Adebayo, an award-winning media mogul, AI enthusiast and Educator, and a beacon of innovation in the creative sphere.

Felix Adebusola is also a torch bearer in the media sphere, with an impeccable record in photography via his media establishment Felix Crown Fotografi.

The photographer, who graduated from the University Of Ibadan in 2015, studied agricultural economics. But his passion for media and photography steered him in the direction of multiple interstate travels to find a balance and course through an exponential trajectory in photography during his National Youth Service Corp in 2016.

One year later, Felix anchored in Lagos State and has since then established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the photography ecosystem.

In 2021, he was honoured at the African choice awards where he won in the Best Photographer category.

His brand “Felix Crown Fotografi” has a huge target demography with a coveted and impressive client list including local and international brands, corporations, products, and services.

He has worked with deposit banks and fast moving consumer goods (FCMG) companies in Nigeria. Felix has also worked with Nigerian celebrities like Adesua Wellington, Banky Wellington, Omotola Jalade, Mo Abudu, Toke Makinwa, Funke Akindele, and Sada Okoya among others.

According to Felix, the future of high-tech photography and media is now and Felix Crown Fotografi is resolute to ride that wave, in order to transmute and occupy even more space in the creative sphere, using technology and media to unlock higher vibrations of excellence.

Driven by the passion to impact lives positively, one creative opportunity at a time, he has carried out his corporate social responsibility brilliantly, through free training and mentorship endeavours, he has created and empowered a new, vibrant ecosystem bursting with genius photography intelligence that he has passed on, cancelling the employment deficit in Nigeria. “There are a lot more charity projects in the pipeline,” he said.

Felix Crown is a bellwether, creative company, with primary operations, in Lagos, and tentacles spread across the globe.

As a visionary in functional and smart photography and videography, Felix Crown is a frontier player in the creative sphere, fostering a market where every tax bracket remains valid.

His mission, born from a steadfast dedication to photography, is to remove restrictions on creativity by capturing the personality and natural essence of clients in the most secure and trustworthy settings.

Felix was born in llesa, Osun state, Felix embarked on a journey through Agricultural Economics at the University Of Ibadan, which indirectly led him to his true passion – photography. During his National Youth Service Corp in 2016, his love for media and photography steered him towards a new path, which he has been blazing ever since. His media establishment, Felix Crown Fotografi, is a testament to his dedication and craft.

Felix Crown’s creative excellence is recognized by industry leaders and peers alike. He was honored at the African Choice Awards 2021, where he emerged as the Best Photographer. His name, talent, and excellent work precede him, opening doors for numerous business opportunities and collaborations.

Meanwhile, popular question aspiring photographers ask is whether full-time photographers earn good money or not. In this conversation, Felix Crown shares his journey into full-time photography and how he transitioned from working for exposure to earning six figures even on a not-so-good month. He also offers tips on how to determine your rates as a photographer in Nigeria.

How did you come about the Felix Crown Effect?

Towards my final year at UI, I knew I didn’t want to start looking for jobs. So, I looked out for things that interested me – which were a lot at the time and decided to start with photography. I joined a training organized by a church to learn a few things. After this, thanks to Youtube videos, I went on the self-study route. This was in 2015.

For my business name, I used my name – Felix, and my surname Adebayo which means crown. So, FelixCrown lol. It was a playful name I kept throwing around until it became a big thing.

When you were younger, did you try out photography at any point?

Uhmm not professionally. It was more of a hobby. When I was younger, about 11 or so, I forced my mum to get me this analog camera. It was more of a toy then because I remember I never printed any of those images.

Then during my IT period, I was able to get a digital camera because I needed to document the events of my internship for a presentation. Plus, I didn’t have a smartphone to do this.

So when I wanted to start doing something with my life, I thought about all these experiences and chose photography.

So, tell us about your first gig…?

Well, they were mostly collaborative jobs at first. What is known as ‘working for exposure’

I remember one was a shoot for Lamode magazine with other creatives. I shot for Beverly Osu and IK Ogbonna.

My first paid job as a photographer was a beauty shoot for a makeup artist that was trying to push her brand. The pay was N5000 and then it was a big deal because it felt like I could actually make money from this.

Can you share what your breakout job was?

There was actually no breakout job. It was more of a progressive growth for me. The collaborative shoots I had for celebrities started putting my name out there.

Although there was a particular one I did for Toke Makinwa’s birthday shoot. That was her first birthday shoot so it went viral.

Would you say collaborative content grew your brand?

It’s very tricky, especially with photographers. When people say don’t go for collaborative shoots, they never go in-depth. I’d say it’s like investing in yourself. Let me explain.

For every investment, there’s an ROI. So before taking on a collaborative project, I look at what the returns could be. Will it improve my craft? Will it help my visibility as a photographer?

Sometimes it could even mean clients because a brand can come back to book you for a paid job.

I once did a collaborative job with Lady Vodka – Jennifer Oseh. We did a shoot that was very different from what I do. But after, I posted it on my page and it got me my first paid magazine shoot with Genevive magazine. Honestly, I didn’t even know how much to charge then.

The first shoot I did with Toke Makinwa was also a collaborative job. Then I looked into her fans, followers, and how her audience would help my brand at the time.

I did it and she even paid N40k for the shoot as a “thanks for coming”. She called me back for her birthday shoot and after that, I got a ton of calls. So the ROI from this collaborative job was a lot.

When people reach out to you, look at their brand, following, and engagements. You can’t always have that mentality of “I can’t work for free”. It’s an investment. Even lawyers take on pro bono cases for their portfolios. So do it for your portfolio and visibility.

There’s a time to do collaborative work. When I was starting out, it was exciting. But now I’m always booked busy. So there’s barely any time to even consider a collaborative shoot. There’s a time for everything and now, we thank God for where we are now.

What does a great month look like for you in terms of bookings?

My schedule is usually very packed. On a good month, I can be booked from Monday to Saturday for the first two weeks. It used to include Sundays but now I’ve taken out Sundays to rest.

For the remaining two weeks in the month, I add in Wednesdays to catch a break too.

Do you have other channels of income asides from photography?

I do investments on the side. Then I run photography training sessions. But 90% of it comes from shoots.

What helps you determine your rates?

This was a major challenge when starting out – because how am I supposed to value myself?

But one method I use is checking my years of experience, skillset, and client category. These three things help me quantify my value.

Look at Kelechi Amadi. He charges N5M for a day’s rate and he has 20 years of experience with Coca-cola and other high-end clients. He’s charging what he should. This was able to challenge me.

So if I have five years of experience with clients like Toke Makinwa, Genevive magazine, and celebrities or if my clients are higher, I’d charge more, because they’d be able to afford a higher rate. So with brands like Union Bank and Zaron, I calculate it differently.

What has helped you stay in business?

I’m a practical person. So I try to stay within my means. For example, if my headset is serving me well, there’s no need to purchase a more expensive headset. There’s no need to prove to people that you have money. So I’d say don’t buy what you don’t need.

Then photographers have this habit of acquiring gear – even when it’s not necessary. Thankfully, I don’t have that.

I’m not trying to sound humble by the way. I still have things I spend money on and beat myself up for. For example, I have an iPhone 11, and there’s no need to upgrade because it serves me well.

But recently, I’ve been thinking about using my phone as a means to get Instagram reels for a behind-the-scenes shoot. Something unprofessional you know. So now I’m considering an iPhone 14.

I have a habit of saving too. I invest as well although all Nigerian investments have been unfavorable.