Photo Essay: Congo Portraits

by Gary Knight, VII

The Congolese are generally not the most willing of subjects particularly when they think that the photographer will somehow profit from the exchange at their expense.

After a week or two struggling to work on stories on the Congo River I decided to engage in a collaboration with some of the villagers and city dwellers in and around Kisingani. I set up a portable studio (my hotel bed sheet, some gaffer tape and anything in the vicinity I could use to hang it on) and invited passers by or merchants in the area to be photographed with anything or anyone they desired. Most of them were photographed with the tools of their trade or with friends. It’s probably the most fun I have ever had with a camera.

Check it out here.