This photograph was taken at the tabernacle of a small Rastafarian family living in the mountainous area of Wellington, at the extreme top of the hill in Freetown. It is a place most people in the city have never seen. I was there on a Saturday morning, documenting the family as part of ‘The Keepers’, an ongoing documentary photography project that follows their life across seasons.

This photo was shot in Argungu town, Kebbi State, Nigeria during the 61st Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival. During the fishing event which lasts for one hour, any fisherman that catches a reasonably large fish immediately comes out of the river with it for scaling because there is a prize for the heaviest fish caught.

This is one of those photos that has many layers to it. It is saying and expressing a lot. From the unknown, faceless man and his body language to where he is pictured. And I loved that partially pictured white car with a touch of pink rims.

I photographed this in Mararaba Market, Nasarawa, Nigeria. I went fabric shopping and after combing through the wooden stalls on muddy ground, I found a father and daughter duo with the variety of fabric I needed. Purchasing a fabric is not something you do in a hurry. So, while I sat on the wooden bench, waiting, I took the picture.

I chose this photograph because it captures a quiet moment of spiritual journey and daily life at Debre Libanos Monastery in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. What drew me to the scene was the contrast between the vast landscape and the small white figures climbing the mountain early in the morning. I was interested in the feeling of silence, devotion, and movement within the landscape, and I felt this moment expressed that naturally.

The photo was taken in August 2023 along Lake Bosomtwe in the Ashanti region of Ghana. I was holidaying with friends at a resort along the lake. Hours before I took the photo, a fisherman from the community had come by on a wooden raft to harvest fish, young tilapia. Our friend Kelechi and his dogs Whiskey and Simba had also spent time swimming in the water.

This image was taken in Yaba. I captured it during one of my walks. It wasn’t planned as a photo walk. I usually carry my camera with me wherever I go, so I stay open to moments as they come.

I took this photo at Eid Al-Fitr 2025 at the Dolphin Hotel, Mogadishu, designed in a vernacular style to be viewed from the ocean. Somalia has the longest coast in Africa, and Mogadishu has a great share of beautiful beaches, which serve as recreational escapes where residents go to ease their minds.

This image was taken in Yaba. I captured it during one of my walks. It wasn’t planned as a photo walk. I usually carry my camera with me wherever I go, so I stay open to moments as they come.

This photograph was taken in the Draa Valley near Assa town southern Morocco during the February of 2025. Assa is a city in the southeastern Sahara near the Algerian border.

The photograph was taken on October 6, 2023, during an early morning solo photo walk along the CMS Bridge on Lagos Island, Nigeria. While observing the environment from an elevated position, I noticed a bus driver in a yellow shirt pushing a yellow bus, surrounded by other yellow buses.

I chose this photograph because it was a quiet moment when Auntie Ntombekhaya was tucked away from the main path of the tour. It portrays care and attention through the activity being engaged in, grace in her posture, seated position and how the needle is held, while also giving context to the community within which this is unfolding.

This image was my favorite from the day’s photographs. It draws you into a private moment. A tension between three people you’re not fully let into. You don’t get the full story. You’re left with what you can gather.

The photograph was taken in Kariakoo, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 29 October 2025 during the general election. I went there to document the atmosphere in this densely populated area amid online calls from Gen Z for a peaceful protest against the current constitution. While moving through the streets, I encountered a security guard at this moment, which resonated with me, so I quietly captured the image without disturbing him.

The photograph was taken in The Gambia, during a visit to see family and friends. I worked slowly and attentively, often returning to the same spaces, allowing moments to unfold rather than staging them. The image emerged through this process of observation, guided by my interest in impermanence and the subtle tensions between memory and the present.

This photograph was taken in the homestead of my Xhosa family in Eastern Cape. We were all celebrating the end of a ceremony, and I was sitting in the corner with another Makhoti, a new family member, brought into the husband’s family through marriage (I am one of the two in the home).

This photo was taken in Abidjan, two days before the end of a skate tour organized by SurfGhana in October 2022. The goal of the tour, lasting a little over a week, was to bring together Ghanaian and Ivorian skate communities. I was tasked with documenting the journey. Initially, I was just going to take a group photo with all the skaters, but I am fascinated by movements. By instinct, I started moving my camera, getting closer to try to capture less frozen, less sought-after moments.

I captured this portrait of my parents in 2015. My aim was to explore the complexity of relationships and the challenges of communication, while highlighting the attachment and family values of my parent’s generation. During that time, I enjoyed performing in front of the camera, using simple props around the house to stage scenes. I liked to focus on personal narratives, relying on natural light and my DSLR camera.

This week, we are highlighting portraits from our inaugural year. We invite newer subscribers to learn more about talented photographers who have contributed to the Tender Photo newsletter. Features by our current editorial fellows will return next week.

The image is instantly recognizable to anyone who has done any roadside shopping in the CBD, where vendors and the city inspectorate are regularly engaged in a battle for control of sidewalks and paved pathways.

NOIR 40 is restrained and intimate, quite minimalistic and close to the skin. I set aside all accessories used in earlier works. Contrasts remain, but white exists only within black—to express Black identity in its purest, most intimate form and reveal the individuality of the sitter. My aim is to deconstruct and break stereotypes about the identity of the black woman by showing her dignity and inner strength.

This photograph was taken in the village of Ozaga, Ait Heddou Youssef in the heart of the Atlas Mountains. It is a part of my first series, «A journey into nature where time stops to play», a project that reflects my inner child by documenting the daily lives of Amazigh children.

My images oscillate between a desire to hold onto a particular moment or emotion and more deliberately orchestrated compositions. My work exists in that space between what we see and how we perceive the things we see. They are a way to catalogue experience and show evidence that I have interacted with the world around me.

Taken in 2018, this photograph is part of a documentary project, Au Quartier, which explores life in Rwandan neighborhoods. The project began in 2012 as a street photography project, capturing candid moments. It has since evolved to include interviews and personal stories, allowing me to engage directly with my subjects.