Iconic Black Hairstyle Photographer

Black hair photographer Ojeikere was an internationally celebrated African black hair photographer.

The natural hair revolution began with the legendary black hairstyle photographer Johnson Donatus Aihumekeokhai Ojeikere also known as J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere born in Nigeria Africa in 1930. 

Natural hair revolutionists power of black women began with African legendary black hairstyle photographer 'Okhai Ojeikere. He highlighted modern and traditional African perspectives of the art of hair design. Each African hairstyle had its own uniqueness giving a glimpse into the talented camera of a legendary Nigerian photographer. 

Ojeikere was a black hair photographer who is known for his work with unique hairstyles found in Nigeria. Ojeikere was raised in a small town in rural southwestern Nigeria.

The unique artistry of African hair has a long storied tradition

He lived and worked in Lagos, Nigeria. At the age of nineteen, JD Okhai Ojeikere buys a modest camera from a neighbor who taught him the basics of photography. His talent was noticed by the West Africa Publicity for which he worked full-time from 1963 to 1975 when he set up his studio "Foto Ojeikere." 

JD Okhai Ojeikere began working on his Hairstyle series in the late 1960s after he joined the Nigerian Arts Council and began documenting the country's culture. Forty years, he continued across Nigeria photographing hairstyles. Ojeikere photography of hairstyles of Nigerian women in everyday life, on the street, in the office, at parties leaves a heritage of anthropological, ethnographic and documentary legacy.  

For Ojeikere, this was a never-ending project as hairstyles evolve with fashion: "All thesis hairstyles are ephemeral. I want my photographs to be noteworthy traces of Nigeria. I always wanted to record times of beauty, knowledge of times. Art is life. Without art, life would be frozen."

This iconic photographer passed away on Sunday, February 2, 2014.