Image via Complex Original
One of the many great things about using Instagram is having the ability to experience different cultures and see the world through the eyes of other people. For our latest Portfolio Review, we connected with Kenyan-based photographer Sarah Waiswa to find out more about Nairobi through the portraits and landscape photos on her Instagram.
Sarah grew up in Kenya but left for 12 years to study abroad. "When I came back, I knew I was home, but I felt like I was in a foreign land," she told us via email. "Nairobi had changed, but even for the things that hadn't, it's like I was looking at them for the first time. Amidst the nostalgia and the intrigue, I began to rediscover the city that had raised me."
The photographer uses her camera as a way to capture the emotion of the East African country and to also give the world a new and different view of the city of Nairobi. "Taking photos has helped me to reconnect. I find that Nairobi with its diverse landscape and people is like a book, and I am the author sharing one story at a time. When people look at my photos, I want my photos to have the same effect as reading a poem. I want people to look, reflect, interpret, and be moved overall."
We asked Sarah to share some of her favorite Instagram photos, and to explain, in her own words, the stories behind the images.
“This is Trevor, my light chasing buddy that I met through Instagram. I took this photo at an Instameet in Nairobi. I like a sense of mystery in my portraits and the drama that harsh light adds.”
“This is Nikole, she runs an NGO called Freely in Hope and is from California. I met her at a creatives event in Nairobi, and I volunteered to shoot an event for her for the 'Day of the Girl.' She later wanted me to shoot portraits of her in the city, so we took a couple of shots down town.”
“A friend of mine got me access to one of the construction sites he was working on. As I was walking around, I saw this stream of light coming from a window on the top floor. It was so magical, and I asked him to stand in the stream.”
“Nairobi has some very interesting architecture that has come up over the years. I was walking downtown one day around sunset, and I noticed how the Nation Center was illuminated by the sun.”
“I took this photo at a Swahili wedding. Here the bride's feet were decorated with henna and she was waiting to get her make up done. There is a lot of mystery that surrounds these traditional weddings and I had a blast capturing some of them.”
“I was visiting a friend and looked out of the window and saw this great reflection, and I always try to capture different perspectives of the city.”
“As I was driving under this overpass one day I noticed a view of the city that I hadn't seen before, so I parked my car on the side of the road and snapped away. You don't usually see photos of the city from this perspective.”
“A friend of mine has a project where he photographs the city at night. I went out shooting with him one day and it was a rush. I realized how vibrant everything was and was instinctively drawn to the mystery. I took this photo of a man selling books after I watched several people pass him by while he was busy on his cell phone.”
“During another night time escapade, I noticed these women in an alley having an animated conversation, and was lucky to snap the picture without them noticing. I prefer to capture candid moments, they feel more authentic and leave the story untampered with.”
“A group of Instagrammers and I go rooftopping from time to time, shooting the sunset and getting some shots of Nairobi's beautiful nightscape. The power of the sun always hypnotizes me and here I liked the how it gently fell on Tintseh's frame.”
“I ran into these kids playing in the streets in the Jericho neighborhood of Nairobi. They noticed me and stopped playing, but the light was perfect and their expressions were even more perfect.”
“I am currently working on a long term photo project documenting life in Jericho. The architecture there is very unique to Nairobi and holds a lot of history significance for the City. This was my first time in Jericho and to me it confirmed that there was so much about the city that I had left to learn and to explore.”
“I saw this bike on the construction site, and took the picture because bikes are a symbol of the everyday working man/woman in Nairobi. It is an affordable transport option, often used by low income earners. As I looked at it in it's simplicity, it also represented a complicated struggle.”
“I did an 80s concept shoot with these stylish siblings in the Kibera area of the city. Kibera is a slum in Nairobi, but it is the home to the most beautiful grafitti. It was important for me to highlight this beauty.”
“I took this photo at the Kuona Trust Arts Center, which is a popular artist hub in the city. This boy, the son of one of the artists, was running around and when he walked past this painting I liked how his skin looked against the art… it's like they matched.”
“I often walk around in down town Nairobi hoping to find interesting people to shoot and talk to. I noticed this man sitting on the sidewalk and his eccentric style immediately drew me to him. I struck up a conversation with him, and he told me that he had come to the city because he heard that there were great opportunities here. To me, he was the epitome of the big city dream, and he was hopeful.”
“On another walk down town I spotted this man with this interesting helmet on his head who looked homeless. Almost as though he had seen me looking at him, he struck up a conversation and told me about a toothache he was having. I asked to photograph him, and I like that I was able to capture the pain in his eyes.”
