My name is Michael Aboya also known as Aboya.8, a fine-art and fashion photographer based in Ghana, West Africa. This is a story about my journey to the 8, a journey that never ends, a story that will always be told long after I'm gone. When I was 19, my passion for arts and photography became very real. At that time I was studying software programming, a subject I had no particular interest in, but my parents wanted me to be a programmer.

The journey and story begins when I lost my father to cancer in August 2016, this drove me to realise that one day I will also die; but do I die knowing I pursued my dreams or that I wasted my life? It was then that I started to pursue my dreams of becoming a professional photographer. I stopped studying computer programming and used the little savings and funds I had to buy a Canon T3 camera with a Canon EF 70mm – 300mm lens. In early 2017, I started working as a full-time photographer, dedicated to learning and very importantly becoming a better version of myself.

Today, as a visual artist working with photography, my purpose is to tell stories that inspire, empower and connect with the viewer. My images explore emotions, love and strength through composition, lighting, and subject matter. Over these period of time and dedication, I have received 6 awards for outstanding visual storytelling and composition, I was a guest judge for a photography contest by Agora in Spain Barcelona in 2018 and 2019, and also 2 times judge for a photography grant by Photographers Without Boarders in Canada, I became an Adobe Lightroom Ambassador, and one of my works is the splash screen photo for Adobe Lightroom Classic 2022.

As I look to the future, I look forward to continuing the exploration of our humanity for many years to come.