“A prompt becomes interesting to me when it allows room for interpretation and aligns with how I naturally create.”
Samuel Adeleke moves between two modes: observation and intention. Sometimes he's on the street, responding to a moment as it happens. Other times he's building an image from the ground up—constructing portraits around a specific concept, working toward something he can feel before he can fully see.
VSCO Prompts have become part of how he does both. Each one gives him a reason to revisit his archive, pick up his camera with a specific question in mind, or push a concept somewhere he might not have gone otherwise.
In this conversation, Samuel walks through how prompts have shaped his practice, from the themes that resonate most, to the community he's found through them, to the prompt he'd create if it were up to him.
1. How would you describe your photography?
I would describe my photography as a blend of portrait, conceptual, and documentary storytelling.
I'm drawn to everyday life, but I often frame it through portraits and intentional compositions that add deeper meaning. My work explores emotion, identity, and environment—capturing both what is seen and what is felt.
2. How about your photographic practice?
I'd describe my photographic practice as an artist with a strong storytelling focus. I approach my work with intention, using both spontaneous street moments and constructed ideas to communicate narratives.
3. How do you keep up with the latest prompts?
I mostly discover prompts directly through VSCO. Either on the app itself or through community highlights.
Over time, it's become part of my routine to check in and stay connected to what's being shared.
4. How do you decide a prompt is interesting to submit to?
A prompt becomes interesting to me when it allows room for interpretation and aligns with how I naturally create. I'm especially drawn to prompts that I can translate into portraits or conceptual ideas, not just straightforward documentation.
“It's inspiring to see how different photographers interpret the same idea in unique ways. It also challenges me to refine my own approach and think more creatively.”
5. What are two of your all time favorite prompts, and why?
Two of my favorite prompts are #melanin and #monochrome.
#melanin resonates with me because it allows me to celebrate skin, identity, and culture through portraiture in a very intentional and powerful way.
#monochrome pushes me to focus on light, contrast, and emotion—stripping the image down to its core and allowing the story to stand on its own.
6. Has submitting to prompts opened anything up for you, creatively or professionally?
Yes, submitting to prompts has helped me feel connected to a wider creative community. It has also reinforced the idea that my work can exist beyond my immediate environment.
7. What would you say is the biggest impact that Prompts have on your photography?
The biggest impact prompts have had on my photography is how they've pushed me to think more conceptually and be more intentional with how I construct my images.
8. Do prompts send you back to your archive or out with your camera?
It's a mix of both. Sometimes I revisit my archive and find images that fit naturally, but often Prompts push me to create new work—especially when I want to explore a concept or build a portrait around a specific idea.
9. If you could create a prompt for other photographers, what would it be and why?
If I could create a prompt, it would be Inner Worlds. It would focus on creating portraits that reflect emotions, thoughts, or unseen aspects of a subject.
I think it would encourage photographers to move beyond surface level images and create something more expressive.
10. Have prompts influenced, inspired, or changed how you think about photography? Or the types of photos you create?
Yes, prompts have definitely influenced how I think about photography. They've pushed me to experiment more with concepts and to approach portraiture with deeper intention and meaning.
11. When you submit to a prompt, do you ever look at the other photographer submissions?
Yes, I do look at other submissions. It's inspiring to see how different photographers interpret the same idea in unique ways. It also challenges me to refine my own approach and think more creatively.
Creating with intention and connecting through prompts
For Samuel, prompts aren't a creative exercise—they're a discipline. A monthly reason to think harder, look longer, and build images that go somewhere he otherwise wouldn't.
That's what VSCO Prompts are designed to do. Each month, a new theme gives photographers a shared creative starting point. Respond with work already in your archive, or let the prompt take you somewhere new. Standout submissions get curated and highlighted by VSCO's team, putting your work in front of a broader audience of photographers and beyond.
“The biggest impact prompts have had on my photography is how they've pushed me to think more conceptually and be more intentional with how I construct my images.”
