Encounters
Encounters
Affinities between photographers in the Tender Photo archive
An encounter with the definite presence of a person or group of people; a serendipitous or unforgettable glance-to-camera chance meeting, as distinguished from witnessing the wide-angled view of a remarkable scene.
“Man With a Mask”
In the moment while creating this photograph, I found myself wondering why this young man showed up to a masquerade performance in a mask. Was he merely trying to mimick the situation? Was it a way for him to feel more like a part of the festival? To embody the tradition of masquerades and masked dances? Or perhaps he just thought it cool?
— Nyancho NwaNri
“Young Herdsman in Jangaringari”
We were on our way to the village when we spotted cows and the young herdsmen taking care of them, so we walked over and asked to film them. Then I spotted him away from the herd, tending to his cows separately. So I walked up to him and signed with my hands that I wanted to take photos of him. And he nodded. Despite our language barrier, he was able to pose how I directed, and we were able to create intimate images.
— Rachel Seidu
“Living by the Castle”
This photograph was made in Cape Coast, Ghana, close to the Castle where there were slave trade activities. I was on assignment looking at how climate change was affecting forts and castles. While waiting to get in, I decided to take a walk around… This photograph easily communicates what I am trying to achieve with the project idea I am developing: the relationship between the castle and the people that live by it. In the photograph, two boys are taking the weight off a fishing net and they look up at the moment they noticed I was photographing them. Behind them is a sea defence wall and the white Castle.
— Nipah Dennis
“Friends”
On a slow Friday morning in the Almeghrabeleen neighborhood behind Al Khayameya (Old Cairo district), a group of friends sit beside each other while the Friday prayer calls. As I pass by, taking photographs of the chickens and the chaotic beauty of the neighborhood, one of them calls out, “Aren't we better looking than the chickens! Give us one good picture together!”
— Amina Kadous
“Jamestown Water Polo”
This photo was taken at Jamestown, one of Accra's oldest and most storied neighborhoods. I had driven past it many times but never walked through it, and never been to the beach-side. During my first proper walk around Jamestown I got to the pier and noticed kids hanging around and some diving off it. Some kinds saw me with a camera and posed for me with me even asking. I later noticed a group of 3 or 4 boys playing with the ball in the sea and started taking a few pictures of them. During a short stop in play, the boy from the right and I made eye contact. He held that stare as I continued shooting.
— Mo Baba Mahama
“Youssef”
I was walking on the cornice of Alexandria with a friend, holding my point-and-shoot film camera in my hand. When I saw Youssef I thought he was an attractive person. I stopped and stepped back and started talking with him, listening to his story. Every Sunday he goes to the seaside of the cornice and has a very long walk enjoying this side of the city as he is an old man now and has nothing to do and he loves to walk so much.
— Mohamed Hozyen
This is the first edition of AFFINITIES. Every Friday in March, I’m rereading the statements by the 100 photographers featured between February 9, 2022 and January 10, 2024, and finding affinities between how they describe their themes or process.
TENDER PHOTO is a bi-weekly newsletter on African photography. Every Wednesday we feature a photograph and a short caption about it, and include a statement from the photographer. Every Friday, we publish commentaries or photo-essays in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter. Our goal is to engage with early to mid-career African photographers by creating a platform in which they lead the cataloguing and engagement with their work.