Adonye Jaja is a luxury wedding photographer. He now shoots all over the world. But he never initially set out to become a photographer. 

"The idea of actually doing photography as a career was never on my radar. I just loved taking photos."

Instead of starting out independently and trying to book clients with little to no experience, Adonye apprenticed. He found another photographer, someone whose work he admired, and set to work second-shooting for him. The space to shoot, create, and try different things without the pressure of client expectations weighing on him allowed him to quickly develop a style of his own. 

"I apprenticed, which is not the norm… I didn't know what good was. So I just ran around and had the liberty to play with the camera."

In the years since his apprenticeship, Adonye's put some big awards to his name: Rangefinder,  Brides Best Wedding Photographers, and Harper's Bazaar Best Photographers. He wanted to see where he sat against the best — to know if his work was photographically relevant. But beyond the affirmation, the awards put him in front of clientele that he "might not normally get in front of."

Adonye's passion for his work extends beyond the photos he takes — it's in the way he runs his business and the way he treats his clients. If he books a wedding, you know he'll be there to shoot it — almost nothing could get in the way of that. 

But one weekend, something did. 

After a day spent fly-fishing, Adonye woke the next morning, and his eye was severely swollen. A trip to the emergency room and a CT scan revealed an orbital mass behind his eye. 

"If you don't go get emergency surgery right now, you're going to lose your eye."

Following the surgery, he was plagued with double vision — his career, the very thing he's put his life behind, is now in jeopardy because he can't see clearly. Adonye needed to push through, to make sense of his new world, and to learn to dream again. 

For Adonye, there are so many ways to be creative — creating within the camera, moving around, using space to create in reality, or crafting what is in front of the camera. The common thread tying all these varied ways to be creative in the photographic process is that they all take time. Time to explore what works, to try new things, and to test different combinations. It's this creativity that he dreams about.

"I love taking pictures, and it is such a passion of mine. But it's also my job."

Pushing himself out of his comfort zone through activities like fly fishing or swing dancing is how Adonye gets himself thinking differently. Anything to mix up his routine, see the day differently and change how he looks at the world around him. 

All this energy, all in the pursuit of creativity, it all required time. 

"SmartAlbums gives you time to dream."

Using SmartAlbums to produce a keepsake for his couples is another creative avenue for Adonye, but it also saves him time. It gives him back the space he needs to be creative in other areas of his work. 

"Honestly, it gives you space to do the other things in the creative process that help you be you. The time that you need to create, the time that you need to make something happen in reality. You can spend that not making an album."

SmartAlbums ability to simplify album design allowed Adonye to focus on what he loved most — capturing and creating beautiful images. Creating an album in just 15 to 20 minutes freed up his time to dream, explore new creative ideas, and immerse himself in his passion without the burden of tedious tasks.

For Adonye, SmartAlbums is more than a tool; it's a gateway to creative freedom. It eliminated the hours he used to spend in Photoshop, allowing him to make quick adjustments and focus on the artistic aspects of his work. He chooses to add it to his workflow to help simplify everything else, giving him more space for creativity. 

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"Creating comes out of you, so whatever you're putting in will greatly influence how you create."

What sets Adonye Jaja apart isn't just talent or his awards. It's his resilience, ability to adapt and grow, and unwavering commitment to his craft. Even when faced with the possibility of losing the very thing that defines his art — his sight — Adonye found a way to continue creating.