Still Waters, Silent Stories

First entry for the 'Frozen In Time' Photochallenge is from Damilola Matthew. A monochrome entry of diverse themes. Think he deserves the Webcitizen's Choice? Drop your comments.

#1 Title: Still Waters, Silent Stories

In the midst of rising waters in submerged streets, time paused, not in chaos, but in quiet resilience. A young man navigates his canoe through what what was just a neighborhood the previous night, now transformed into a makeshift river.

This image tells a thousand untold stories of adaptation, survival, and the unyielding spirit of those who learn to float where others might sink.

In this single frame, the floodwaters do not rush, they hold their breath, and with them, so does the world. Frozen not in despair, but in strength.

(A flooded community due to the dam released by the Ogun State government in October 2024)

#2 Title: Home of Power

The one place that once housed the most powerful man(Obadoke Latoosa Oyatoosa) in the entire Yoruba Land, the Palace of AARE LATOOSA (1820-1885). A place where people dreaded entering without an appointment from the Warlord, has turned into a place where anyone can enter without even greeting the people by the gates.

A place where daily sacrifices were being offered to the god of war, where the cooking area is always brewing with smokes of firewood, a place where when a day goes by without the sound of a gun being heard, the whole community begins to get worried.

The once HOME OF POWER is now silent and turned into a playground for children and a sight for tourists. This recalls to mind the Yoruba proverb, “ìgbà o lo bi òréré” which translates to “Nothing lasts forever”.

#3 Title: The Leap Beyond Limits

In a world that never slows down, she found stillness in motion. Every evening, she came to this quiet garden, not just to dance, but to chase something unseen. It wasn’t about fitness or art. It was about freedom. That one perfect leap, where she could outrun her doubts, feard, and the gravity of expectations.

On this day, the breeze whispered encouragement, and her body moved like it remembered something, joy. As her feet left the mat, time paused. In that split second, she wasn’t just jumping, she was becoming.

This image captures that fleeting, powerful moment. A heartbeat suspended. A soul unleashed. “Frozen in time”, not because it stood still, but because something eternal happened in the blink of an eye.

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Damilola Matthew Adekoya

Damilola Matthew Adekoya studied Theatre Arts and has been practising film-making and photography for six years now, going professional in 2021. He started with landscape photography as he has an eye for good landscape images. He has gone on to take landscape images in Ibadan, Abeokuta, Akure, Lagos, Ebonyi and is looking to visit other states in Nigeria and beyond. He is a budding photographer whose passion for photography has earned him reviews from notable photographers home and abroad. Damilola plans to go into documentary photography as that is where his interest lies. He is working very hard to be among the greats in the field and thus is leaving no stones unturned. Damilola is also into event and concert photography as that gives him the liberty to capture moments. He is also the 1st Runner-up in our first Nature Photochallenge!