Through humanitarian and storyteller photography, this post describes the practice of shamanism in South Africa and a unique blend of traditional Africa spiritual practice with Christianity to Southern Africa, which is commonly referred to as African Zionism. Congregants often engage in vibrant worship that includes music, dance, and the invocation of ancestral spirits, reflecting the shamanistic elements intertwined with their Christian faith.

The UN estimates that there are approximately 268 Million pastoralists living across the African continent. Their traditional livelihood are threatened by various sociopolitical factors as well as the severe hardship as a result of climate change, In this article I will discuss the challenges faced by African pastoralists and some of the non-profit and humanitarian photography I have done with these communities.

I am very excited to announce I will soon travel to Kenya on a humanitarian photography assignment to capture the stories of the impact of an innovative application of technology initiated in Africa more than 10 years ago. What began as an humanitarian effort to assist nomadic pastoralists mitigate the direct impact of climatic change in drought-stricken Africa has subsequently revealed even greater potential to deliver vast impact by restoring ecosystems, sequestering huge quantities of carbon and delivering material impact to our changing climate.

In September of 2023, I was privileged to visit the Zanskar Valley in northern India with a group of cultural photographers to document the unique Tibetan Buddhist culture and the dramatic physical environment of Zanskar. Zanskar is located high in the Himalayas at elevations well over 13,000 ft. Amidst surreal high-altitude landscapes of Zanskar in northern India lies a uniquely vibrant vestige of Tibetan heritage which has existed here with little change for centuries; protected and isolated by brutal winters, rugged towering peaks and awe-inspiring glaciers. Influenced significantly by massive road construction projects, the regions legendary isolation is quickly breaking down. As it does, the unique culture heritage of Zanskar is also in threat of rapid change and assimilation into surrounding cultures. As impactful as the construction of roads and improved access to these remote valleys is to these people’s cultural identity, climate change may be applying a more profound force that presents a more permanent existential threat to not only their culture but the very ability of the region to sustain significant human populations.

As someone responsible for strategic communications at a non-profit or other humanitarian organization, you want to know that every dollar invested will drive meaningful returns. Still, far greater value can be derived when you know the visual stories fully reflect your vision, strategy, values, and ultimately deliver the desired impact on your key stakeholders. In this blog article, I’ll cover some of the key elements of planning and collaborating with a humanitarian photographer and the importance of creating a Humanitarian Photography Brief so that you and your organization are best positioned to maximize the value of your investment in visual storytelling.

The Suri are a small tribal population of fiercely independent people in southwestern Ethiopia who possess various attributes of culture that go far beyond the stylized face and body painting that has made them famous. While cultural tourism can provide economic benefit for communities and encourage cultural integrity, it can all too often be accompanied by insensitivity and almost a lack of consciouness of such people as human beings. My reflections on the time spent with the Suri have reminded me of the critical need for empathy and sensitivity when visiting cultures that are so different from our own. The Suri are certainly interesting, but not just because of their artistry and exoticism. The true rewards of visiting such people are the all too brief memories of deeper human interactions which ultimately provide the images with far greater personal meaning. We must remember to not value our desire to seek out and capture exoticism with a higher priority than our need to connect our shared humanity.

Cultural Photography (or ethnographic-photography) is the art of creating images that tell us something about the learned behaviors or culture of group of people. The attributes of culture could be as straight forward as dress or physical adornments, or complex such as social relationships and religious beliefs. My visit to Kayah State in Myanmar (Burma) before the military coup in 2021 provided the opportunity to create diverse cultural photographs in this unique place now ravaged by war and conflict.

I certainly look forward to the day that it is possible to visit a revitalized and peaceful Myanmar and embark on a new mission to create a cultural record of hope and recovery as well as support the health of its people in a future era of stability and peace.

Humanitarian photography and film each have their unique strengths and contributions for telling peoples stories and advancing social causes but each has the potential to break down barriers, foster understanding, and encourage action. They can both create a visual narratives that transcends language and cultural barriers, resonate with people from diverse backgrounds and leaves a lasting impact on the viewer.

I initially shied aware from the term humanitarian photographer or humanitarian photography as it seemed somewhat self-righteous to say “I’m a humanitarian photographer” or “I do humanitarian photography”. Still, it is a purpose that is personally and deeply meaningful to me, and it is humanity that I seek to capture in my images and happily, I am often successful.