Tatenda Chidora

Born in Zimbabwe and based in South Africa, Tatenda Chidora is a commercial, fine art and fashion photographer whose contemporary style is representative of the global movement hailed as ‘new African photography’. He’s driven by creating a more diverse picture and inspired by the stories and faces of the African metropolis. His striking visuals, often shot from new and unexpected angles make heroes of his subjects. At the core of his practice is light; a marathon runner, he studies light from the road in the early mornings and evenings and is moved by the way it cuts curves into a face or a landscape. In turn he commands natural light or studio lighting to paint black skin luminous. There’s a richness of tone in his work whether it’s shot in colour or his beloved black and white. Tatenda studied photography at the Tshwane University of Technology completing his BTech in 2015, but he remains a humble student of the medium through assisting and shooting in various genres of photography while carving out a style of his own. Working between genres keeps him nimble and versatile; he brings a fine art sensibility to his fashion photography and an editorial edge to his portraiture which champions unconventional beauty. His subjects are often people he discovers on the street and finds interesting. Tatenda has a deep love for making portraits for its opportunity to engage with a subject. “I try not to just photograph people,” he says. “I try to connect with them.” His muse is the everyday which he endeavours to translate and elevate through his lens.