The Balance

Affinities between photographers in the Tender Photo archive

Apr 05, 2024

Images of people in the middle of things, seen with steadied feet.

“Students in Ngombe”

This photograph was taken at Ngombe Open Community School in Lusaka, 2018. I was commissioned to document an art festival that was touring different schools in the city. These students were perched on the mound of stone, watching the guests that were arriving into the school grounds.

— Sana Ginwalla

“The Borderlands”

Since the 1980s I have sidestepped the issue of photographing people… But in Riemvasmaak, Pomfret, Schmidtsdrift, and Platfontein, I was forced to confront my resistance because to avoid photographing people would mean to evacuate them from their homes and their land once again. In these places, people are re-establishing communities that have been broken for decades, making new lives and forging new identities for themselves. I needed to acknowledge that.

— Jo Ractliffe

“Know Your Backyard”

It was a pretty short but demanding hike. My dad descended first, and while he photographed the scene on his mobile device, I documented his admiration of the waterfall. I was initially skeptical to descend to where he was, but he encouraged me to get down there. It was worth it.

— Kay Kwabia

“A Symphony of Perfect and Fleeting Time”

I took this photo in Bole, Addis Ababa Ethiopia in 2020 while commuting to my work place. This photograph is one of my personal favorites. It stands out due to its exceptional composition, perfect timing, and the remarkable way lighting and shadows framed my subjects.

— Sehin Tewabe

“A Memory Lasts a Lifetime“

On the day of her burial service, I went to see her for the last time. While standing in front of her body, questions kept running through my mind: Who will welcome me anytime I go back to Sege? Who will cook for me and say, “Sister Adikour, are you satisfied?” Who will I talk to when I come back? I started to cry. I left and went to the sea for a walk. I started to reflect on the relationship we had. I remembered that throughout the burial service I didn’t take any photo that would serve as a memory of our relationship. So, I thought of taking photos at the beach where I was walking. Now this image reminds me of Sister Yayira; it is a memory I have of her which will live with me for a lifetime.

— Fibi Afloe

“Alone Among Others“

This photo was taken in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The guy sitting in the photo often sits there alone and I took two photos including this one within a month’s time span.

— Leul Mekonnen

This is the sixth edition of AFFINITIES. Every Friday in March and April, I reread the statements by the 100 photographers featured between February 9, 2022 and January 10, 2024, and find affinities between how they describe their themes or process, or how they visual styles interact. Read the previous editions here.

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.

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