In GOMA, Congo, Moses Sawasawa, a freelance photographer who started his career at 18 years old in 2015, has been working with The Associated Press since 2021. He focuses on capturing humanitarian issues, culture, health, and daily life, choosing to portray the human experience, particularly emphasizing women and children in his photographs.
Sawasawa discussed his decision to photograph an adult in the wake of the global emergency declaration by the World Health Organization regarding mpox, a disease primarily affecting children. He aimed to highlight the 30% of adult cases, opting to wait for a 90-year-old man to wake up in order to add depth and vitality to the image.
To create the photo, Sawasawa engaged with the man’s grandson, who was his caregiver, spending time learning about the elder’s life before capturing the striking image. Using a Sony a7R Mark IV with a 24-70mm GM 2.8 lens, he adjusted settings to emphasize the details of the man’s face and colorful robe.
The essence of the photo lies in its uniqueness, according to Sawasawa. While there were other sick adults present, he gravitated towards the elderly man, appreciating the visual impact of his condition on the overall composition. Through this photo, Sawasawa aims to find beauty even in difficult situations, believing that photographers should seek out elements of grace within unfortunate narratives.
Sawasawa has taken multiple shots of the man in various poses, ultimately selecting the one that encapsulated the narrative he wanted to convey. He believes that each photograph should carry a story within it, highlighting the human experience and potentially offering a thought-provoking visual akin to a painting.
