shutter chaos & sticky air: my lens in lagos
been a whirlwind week chasing light through this concrete jungle. my camera’s been fogging up constantly - humidity’s a nightmare when you’re trying to frame shots. just checked the weather app and it’s… 25.7°C out there, feels like 26.44°C, so if you enjoy breathing soup, this is your paradise. the air pressure’s dropping too, which explains why my lenses keep misting mid-shot. brutal.
speaking of brutal, someone told me the bar at the federal palace hotel charges $20 for a beer. then i heard the rooftop lounge at Eko hotel’s got decent sunset views if you sneak past the velvet ropes. risky but worth the shot.
![\"man](\"https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1624574337423-7ea725c5540c?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&w=1080&q=80\")
![\"busy](\"https://images.unsplash.com/search/photos?query=lagos+street+market\")
![\"palm](\"https://images.unsplash.com/search/photos?query=lagos+beach\")
if you get bored and flee the city vibes, badagry’s just a short drive away for that colonial history fix. or ibadan if you wanna see actual trees. haven’t made it out myself - too busy wrestling with autofocus in this 81% humidity.
my gear’s taking a beating. the pressure’s at 1012 hPa and my tripod’s legs keep sticking together. tried shooting at balogun market yesterday - chaos in the best way. fabrics flying, yams stacked like abstract sculptures, kids dodging my lens. but someone warned me about pickpockets there. heard stories of wallets vanishing in crowds like magic.
found this hole-in-the-wall coffee spot near CMS. burnt beans and lukewarm water, but $0.50 for a caffeine hit? i’ll take it. beats the $7 lattes in victoria island.
check out the reviews on TripAdvisor for hidden gems. also, Yelp has decent food recs if you trust strangers. and for official nonsense, the Lagos State Tourism Board lists ‘safe’ spots - though safe’s relative when you’re shooting at 6am in makoko slums.
battery died twice today. missed golden hour at lekki conservation center. cried into my ₦500 noodles. but tomorrow’s another sunrise. hopefully without fogging lenses. and maybe without that weird neighbor upstairs stomping at 3am. anyway, time to recharge my camera and my soul. separately.
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