Elevating Photography In Ethiopia

Photography, in essence, stands on a fragment of truth, that which we call reality, to construct a truth of its own. Truth constructed by photography becomes so when the artist is fully satisfied with every aspect of the photograph: aesthetic, emotive, the story behind it, and the production quality. It is then that one can conclude that the produced work has spoken a truth of its own.

Photography boxes reality into a single, four-sided frame. It then constructs its own reality from that. Photography as a medium is able to construct its own reality by being itself, a quality that is intrinsic, and also through being the intentional creation of the artist, a quality that is not under the control of photography. By being an intentional creation of the artist, photography is then a formation of a glimpse into an intentional creation, a type of creation that, by being intentional in its own way, is divine.

Intentional creation comes through the connection between the intangible, the intuition, and the ability to realize the message through a form of self expression in reality. A photographer can gain this skill through severe and deliberate practice.

Elevating photography requires the artist to deliberately practice, while also questioning each and every step of his/her creation; the process through which the creation undergoes, and the final product.

Elevating photography also requires learning through critique. Elevation is by no means an individual process. It requires a system with which the photographer grows and shares experiences. In Ethiopia exists a lack in collaborative efforts between photographers. Caused by a variety of factors, collaborative efforts to create elevated work is non-existent. Surely, there are workshops and trainings being held throughout the year but their efforts seem to end at the end of their lifespan. For instance, the photographic work produced for CPE Workshop #4 have ended as soon as the exhibition ended. Peer reviews, friendships formed between each participant and the like has ended as soon as the workshop ended.

This is indicative of a larger problem, an ailment plaguing the photographic industry; A. doing things unenthusiastically (for a lack of a better word); and B. lack of focus on the long-term effects of practicing THAT ONE THING. Is this a generational problem? As the country-wide changes keep sweeping the nation’s generations, one can say, “to a certain extent, yes”.