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'I want to make somebody fly': UNT students' trampoline photoshoot goes viral

Daniel Ebonwonyi's unique photos captured the attention of thousands, including Tyra Banks.

DENTON, Texas – Growing up, you may not realize how hard it is to build a giant trampoline. Last week, Daniel Ebonwonyi, a 20-year-old student at the University of North Texas, found out just how hard it is.

“It took like three hours to build,” said Ebomwonyi. He had an idea of building a trampoline on the roof of his school’s parking garage for a photo shoot.

Credit: WFAA
Daniel Ebonwonyi builds a trampoline for a photoshoot

He’s a photographer with a lot of passion.

“I always want to do something that’s next level,” Ebomwonyi said. “I want to see a photo shoot with somebody flying. I want to make somebody fly and then the idea of the trampoline came to mind.”

He called classmate and model, Halimat Shakunbi. She said, “The first thing that came to my mind is America’s Next Top Model.”

Daniel Ebonwonyi photographs friend and model Halimat Shakunbi

The two UNT students went to work. They did a practice photo shoot on the top floor of the parking garage. But later that night, police gave them a warning to take it down because of safety concerns.

Ebomwonyi took the trampoline down and moved the photo shoot to ground level, but kept his same concept in mind.

He posted it some pictures on Twitter, and his post went viral. Over 149,000 people saw his photos, including Tyra Banks.

“The Tyra Banks quoted my tweet,” he said.

But at the end of the day, Daniel said it’s not about the social media likes and shares. “It’s about being able to make something that I really appreciate,” he said.

Credit: WFAA
Daniel Ebonwonyi talks to WFAA from his trampoline

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