Travel
Working in some of the more remote parts of Africa presents its own logistical challenges. For this reason, the core travelling team has always remained small: my wife and me.
We travel predominantly by road and spend extended periods in the places we visit, taking time to understand the communities, cultures and traditions we hope to photograph. Local guides and community members are an essential part of this process, helping us navigate not only the landscape and language, but also the customs and expectations of each place.
This approach takes considerably more time, but it is fundamental to the way I work.
Authenticity
It is important to me that the people I photograph are represented with dignity and that the resulting images remain grounded in the cultures and traditions they document.
The people appearing in this project are individuals we have met during our travels: sometimes in the course of everyday life, and sometimes while witnessing ceremonies, practices or traditions of particular cultural significance.
Before photographing within a community, we first introduce ourselves and the project to the appropriate local leaders, whether chiefs, elders or spiritual leaders. With their approval, we then approach individuals directly, explain what we are doing and ask whether they would like to take part.
Participation is always a matter of individual choice.
Those who take part are compensated for their time and involvement. Wherever practical, I also return with printed photographs for the people I have photographed — something that has become an important part of the project in its own right.
Where appropriate, we also make a contribution to the community.
Giving Back
Regardless of where I am working, I want being photographed to be a positive experience for the person on the other side of the camera.
When travelling within remote communities, I believe that responsibility extends further. The way photographers and travellers conduct themselves influences not only their own relationship with a community, but potentially the reception of those who arrive after them.
The photographs have also given me an opportunity to contribute beyond the individual encounter.
Charitable Donations
Over the years, I have donated photographic works to charities and organisations supporting communities and cultural initiatives across Africa and beyond.
One such collaboration was with the Le Ciel Foundation, a non-profit organisation working at the intersection of indigenous knowledge, culture and environmental stewardship.
Works donated by participating artists were auctioned to support an initiative bringing twelve elders from indigenous communities around the world together to contribute their perspectives on humanity’s relationship with nature.
The initiative raised $275,000 and helped make that gathering possible.
A Portion of Every Sale
A portion of every FCVPhotography purchase is directed towards projects addressing some of the challenges affecting places and communities connected with my travels.
At present, these contributions are made through GlobalGiving-supported projects, including initiatives focused on:
reducing human-wildlife conflict in Kenya through conservation education;
improving access to clean and safe drinking water for communities along Ethiopia’s Omo River;
supporting the construction of wells benefiting women farmers in Mali; and
using art and education to improve HIV awareness among young people in Namibia.
The project chosen may vary according to the region associated with the photograph and the needs of the initiatives being supported.
Alongside this, I continue to explore ways of directing support more closely towards the communities in which the photographs themselves were made. Doing this responsibly requires the involvement of trusted people within those communities and a structure that can remain useful over the long term, rather than simply providing a short-term gesture.
It is something I intend to develop carefully.
I am always interested in hearing from organisations doing thoughtful, established work with rural communities across Africa.
If you represent a charity or non-profit organisation and would like to discuss the donation of a photographic work for an exhibition, auction or fundraising initiative, please contact me.
Find out more.