A Personal Story by Clara Okpara
Rooted in Beauty, Drawn to Soul
I’ve always had a love affair with beauty.
Not just the kind you see in magazines but the quiet kind: the way sunlight scatters across bare skin, the way steam curls from a teacup, or the silent power of a horse galloping freely.
From a young age, I was drawn to elegance whether it was styling my hair or always trying to make my classmates hair back then in the dormitory felt just right, designing beauty pageant outfits from scratch, or mixing natural herbs with my mom in the kitchen. I was that child who believed beauty could heal. And in so many ways… it has.
A Home Steeped in Herbs, Healing, and Art
I come from an almost Ayurvedic home. My mother was a strong believer in the healing power of herbs always preparing things from scratch, infusing care into every ritual, (my favorite concoction was the mixture of African bitter cola, honey, garlic, ginger and mint leaves which worked like magic to suppress cough and flu).
My late grandmother had a farm, and I remember her plucking herbs and spices with grace, creating dishes that were more like poems.
I learned early on that beauty wasn’t just external it was something you cultivated. Something you honored.
This connection to herbs and homegrown healing has followed me. I’m still that girl who reaches for tea leaves, who loves blending her own herbal brews, who cooks like it’s an art form. My roots from Igbo land in eastern Nigeria shine through in my love for food, vibrant attires, and storytelling through color.
Horses, Sunlight, and the Power of Presence
At a young age (14years), I went horseback riding for the first time and something in me lit up. Horses are everything I admire: strong, fast, elegant, loyal. The older I got, the more I realized: just watching horses became a peaceful experience. They calm me. They remind me of grace, and quiet power. I definitely want to own some horses when I grow up Hahaha!
I find the same sacred stillness in nature. I wake with the sun. I bask in its orange-gold light. I collect photographs of sunrises and sunsets (here)the way some people collect jewelry. It grounds me, heals me, and fills me with gratitude.
It also helped me transform. Through walks in nature and intentional living, I lost almost 100 pounds and gained a deeper understanding of myself.
More Than a Camera: Why I Photograph
Photography isn’t just a career. It’s my language. It’s the way I express wonder, complexity, and emotion.
Life has moods. People have moods. Faces carry stories joy, silence, longing, freedom. I capture those layers, because I feel them too. People always tell me, “You see my angles,” or, “You finally made me feel beautiful in photos.”
That’s the highest compliment I can receive.
When I photograph you, I want you to feel:
• Seen
• Powerful
• Elegant
• Safe
• free
Because that’s how I feel when I create: whole, intentional, and alive.
Artist at Heart
Outside of medicine and photography, I am a lover of makeup, fashion, styling, plating dishes and creativity in all forms. I even learned to make clothes by hand, and though I don’t always find time to sew, I still own my ‘Brother’ sewing machine like a badge of honor.
I’m also the founder of KlarahDiamond, a hair brand born from my deep understanding of how transformative feeling beautiful can be inside and out.
My Visual Style
My photography blends vintage romance with editorial elegance soft, layered, emotive, modern and creativity
You’ll find:
• Neutral tones (ivory, beige, taupe)
• Pastel palettes (dusty rose, soft sage, porcelain white)
• Clean, artful composition
• Mood-driven storytelling
Whether I’m capturing a portrait, a sunrise, or a styled product, I create with heart and harmony.
A Final Word
I’ve lived many lives: doctor, artist, daughter to a businessman and a highly versatile woman, weight-loss warrior, stylist, founder, friend and sister. Through it all, one thing has never changed: my obsession with beauty, not surface beauty, but the beauty that breathes.
The kind that moves you. The kind that stays.
Thank you for being here. If you feel called to work together to capture your layers, your light, your story, I would be honoured. https://linktr.ee/chychuphotographie
Things I Love
A few more soft spots in my world…
• Medicine and research
• creativity, DIYs & story telling
• Horses and red sunsets
• Shopping, beauty pageant
• Vintage scarves and old magazines
• Teas that smell like home
• Warm plates with elegant plating
• Ribbons, silks, and sweet nostalgia
• Quiet morning light and deep conversations
• The way people’s eyes change when they feel seen
English