August 2025
As photographers, we often chase stories, but here we slowed down to ask: what do our images really say? Who are they speaking to, and who is left out of the frame? 'The Power of Perspective Lab' reminded me that photography is as much about listening as it is about looking."You need to change your relationship with your camera" - Jorge Panchoaga
"Diversity starts with who is in the room, but inclusion starts with who is speaking in the room" - Claudi Carreras
I just returned from Sodwana Bay, South Africa, where I spent a week inside a photography lab, 'The Power of Perspective'. It was not just another workshop. It was a space carved out for reflection, discussion, and debate—a space filled with storytellers from across the continent wrestling with how our images shape contemporary visual narratives.
Learning and Unlearning
The lab was guided by remarkable facilitators: Claudi Carreras, a celebrated curator and photography researcher; Andrés Cardona, a Colombian documentary photographer whose work carries deep political weight; Jorge Panchoaga, an incredible photographer whose metaphorical images bend memory into narrative; and Marta, a writer who reminded us of the power of words alongside images. Their generosity of knowledge set the tone for an intense, humbling week.
We discussed editing and sequencing in storytelling, and how perspective is never singular—it shifts depending on where you stand and what you bring into the frame. We edited each other's work, sequenced images, and reassembled them, discovering how layering can completely alter a narrative. The facilitators shared references, photobooks, and presentations that opened windows into Latin American photography—bodies of work I had barely encountered, yet that resonated deeply with the struggles and aesthetics of Africa.
A Space for Exchange
Thanks to NEWF for bringing us together at eKhaya (such an incredible place). Beyond sessions, the real power of this lab was in the conversations with photographers from across the continent, each carrying their own visual languages and ways of seeing. We did not only learn from the facilitators—we learned from one another.
Diving into the Unknown
While in Sodwana, I also tried something I never imagined I would: scuba diving. Slipping beneath the surface of the indian ocean felt like entering another world—alive, colorful, and almost beyond words. Fish moved like brushstrokes across a living canvas; the silence carried its own kind of music. For someone who spends most of his time looking outward at people and landscapes, this was a reminder that there are entire worlds hidden just out of sight. Do I want to dive again? Absolutely—no hesitation, no second thought. The ocean has a way of calling you back! Cheers to the incredible guys at NEWF that this was possible!
I left Sodwana with more questions than answers, but also with renewed clarity. Perspective is not fixed—it is built, challenged, and reshaped in dialogue with others. And perhaps that is the true power of photography: not to present a single truth, but to hold space for many.
