From Family Photos to NYC Solo Show: An Ethiopian Photographer’s Street Photography Journey

*At the 2025* *WSP* *Festival opening with the Women Street Photography community*

I’ve been behind the camera for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a large family as the youngest of seven, I became the unofficial family photographer—capturing gatherings, birthdays, and everyday moments with a small digital camera. Maybe it was because I was the youngest, naturally given tasks others didn’t want, but I never minded. Unlike many last-borns, I wasn’t spoiled. I was quiet, observant, and comfortable behind the lens.

That early habit of documenting turned into something more serious by the time I reached 11th grade. I started getting compliments on my photos and began exploring the world around me more intentionally. My father is from Lalibela, and our family visited every summer. It was there that I first began photographing landscapes and sunsets with my phone—experimenting with light, shadow, and silence.

But the true turning point came in 2015 when a friend introduced me to Instagram. That single moment opened the door to a broader community and shifted my hobby into something closer to a calling. Through Instagram, I discovered the emerging street photography scene in Addis and began to find my voice. I started sharing my work, following artists I admired, and slowly realized that this practice could be more than personal—it could be powerful.

*On the streets of Piyassa, Addis Abeba, 2025*

Street Photography as Language

In street photography, I found a form of communication that doesn’t require words. It’s where I can show what I feel, what I notice, and what I value—without needing to speak. I’m drawn to the mundane and the overlooked—quiet moments between strangers, children playing, an elderly person deep in thought. These are the stories that often go unnoticed, and I want to give them space.

*Captured during my artist residency in New York, 2025.*

The world around me—my friends, family, fellow artists, and even social media—continues to inspire me. My craft has always been deeply rooted in the culture and stories of Ethiopia. As someone who started by photographing intimate family moments, and who now tells stories on city streets, I carry with me a desire to represent our continent and communities through our own lens—not the outdated narratives we’ve often been reduced to.

Applying for the Residency

I had been following the Women Street Photographers community for some time, and when I saw their open call for the New York residency, I felt an instant pull. The idea of challenging myself, of testing my street photography in a completely different cultural and urban context, was both terrifying and exciting. With Rosa ‘s help, I was able to curate my images into a cohesive body of work, which I believe played a significant role in my selection for the residency.

*Curating the exhibition with Gulnara, founder of* *Women Street Photographers, before the printing stage.*

Out of 150 applicants from around the world, I was selected as the sole winner. It still feels surreal. I knew it would be intense, but I didn’t realize how much it would stretch and shape me.

The Visa: A Victory in Itself

One of the most challenging and often invisible parts of this journey was securing the U.S. visa for the residency. Coming from Ethiopia, the process is rarely straightforward. It’s a system filled with uncertainty, where even artists with strong portfolios, international invitations, and professional histories face denials or endless questioning. For weeks, I moved between hope and hesitation, knowing that all the effort I had put into preparing for this residency could be undone at the consular desk. So when my visa was finally approved, it felt like a personal and symbolic victory. In many ways, it was the first gate I had to cross to make the entire experience possible. For artists from the Global South, access is not just about skill or opportunity—it’s about navigating bureaucratic barriers that often feel designed to keep us out as well. Being granted that visa was not just permission to travel—it was recognition, a crack in the wall, and a step forward for me and those I represent.

Thrown into the City

New York hit me like a wave. The mentorship started the very next day after I arrived and didn’t let up for ten days. I was photographing from morning until night, shooting in unpredictable weather, learning the subway system, and reviewing my work each morning with the mentors.

The shooting style pushed me out of my comfort zone—where I usually work with a single subject, capturing quiet details from a distance, I was now being challenged to shoot up close, to layer people within my compositions, and to work with very little natural light. The weather was cold and rainy, a stark contrast from the sunrise and sunset lighting I typically wait for in Addis. But that discomfort led to growth. I learned to adapt quickly, to read the street differently, and to photograph in ways I never had before.

What I Saw Through My Lens

At first, I wandered all over: Fifth Avenue, Chinatown, Soho, The Met. But midway through the residency, my mentors helped me see a pattern—my images gravitated toward emotion, interaction, and humor. I captured strange, funny, tender things. Children, gestures, expressions, and subtle human connections began to form a theme.

The final body of work felt like a hybrid—both deeply mine and somehow deeply New York. It was the city as I experienced it. And even though I was a newcomer, there’s something about the photos that feels like they were taken by someone who knew the place.

Captured during my artist residency in New York, 2025.

Carrying the Past Into the Present

This trip, this residency, felt like the culmination of a long journey.

Back in 2018, during my final year studying Accounting, I was accepted to participate in Addis Foto Fest. That experience helped me meet photographers I had only known online, exhibit my work, and confirm what I already knew deep down: photography was what I wanted to pursue.

After graduating, I briefly worked in my father’s business but deep down I was unhappy. One evening, my dad—who had always supported me—asked me if I liked what I was doing. I told him “No.” That was enough for him. He helped in getting me my first proper camera, and I haven’t looked back.

From there, I worked at a photo studio editing photos and doing freelance portrait work. Later, I joined my friend Abinet Teshome in doing field photography for NGOs, which combined my love of travel and documentary storytelling.

In 2022, I created a photo series on Ashendiye, a cultural festival I had documented for two years. Finding a venue to exhibit the work was hard, but eventually, with the help of artist Tamerat Siltan, I launched my first solo exhibition at Red Door. That show inspired the founding of Artawi Gallery—a space Ab and I built together to fill the very gap I had experienced as an emerging artist.

*My father and I at the Ashendiye in Lalibela exhibition, Red Door, 2022.*

Bringing the Exhibition Home to Addis

After the residency , I felt it was important to bring the work back to where I began street photography—Addis Abeba. I re-staged the show at Artawi Gallery, the space I co-founded and continue to nurture as a platform for photographers and artists in Ethiopia. This time, the exhibition took on a new life. I collaborated with two gifted artists and photographers , Eyoeal and Abinet, to reimagine the curation and expand the selection of photographs. Together, we added new works that weren’t shown in New York, creating a deeper and more nuanced visual dialogue. Presenting Addis Eyes in my own city, in my own gallery, felt like completing a circle—one that began on the streets of Addis and briefly passed through New York, only to return home with more layers, insights, and meaning.

A Note of Gratitude

As I reflect more deeply on my residency experience, I realize how essential it is to acknowledge and honor the people and organizations that made this journey possible. The opportunity to live and work in New York, to grow in my photography practice, and to hold my first solo exhibition would not have happened without the incredible support of the Women’s Street Photography (WSP) organization. WSP is more than a platform; it is a community that believes in the power of women photographers and invests in their growth, visibility, and long-term success.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Gulnara Samoilova, the founder of WSP, who served not only as a mentor but also as the curator of my solo exhibition. Her commitment to nurturing women photographers is inspiring, and her guidance was pivotal throughout this process. I also want to thank Nina Welch-Kling, my residency mentor, for her thoughtful insight, encouragement, and generosity with her time and knowledge.

This residency was fully funded by an anonymous donor, whose act of generosity I will never forget. Their support allowed me to focus entirely on my creative work without the burden of financial strain. I am also incredibly grateful to Digital Silver Imaging, who printed my work with such care and professionalism, at no cost.

Behind every artist’s breakthrough are communities, mentors, and patrons who believe in the work before the world sees it. Programs like this residency are vital in fostering artistic voices, especially for underrepresented photographers. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of something so meaningful — and I hope to pay it forward by supporting others in the same spirit of generosity that has been shown to me.

*With my mentors Gulnara Samoilova and Nina Welch-Kling during the residency*

At Digital Silver Imaging lab with Eric.

A Long-Term Impact

The New York residency has changed how I see myself—as a photographer, as a gallery owner, and as a creative. It challenged me to grow, to adapt, to believe in my own point of view. It wasn’t just about producing a solo show in ten days—it was about learning how to work fast, stay grounded, and trust my instincts in an unfamiliar place.

And more than that, it taught me patience. Patience with my process, and with the long road it takes to get somewhere meaningful.

I will now carry this experience forward—not only into my personal practice but also into how I think about representation, collaboration, and mentorship in Ethiopia. Because here, street photography is not easy. We face harassment and legal challenges just for trying to document public life.

But this residency shows what’s possible. I hope it sparks conversations about why photography matters and how we can tell our own stories—whether in Addis or New York, Lalibela or Chinatown.

Egzihaber Yimesgen!

Everything I’ve done—from my first family gathering photo to my solo show in Manhattan—has been guided by curiosity, resilience, and love for the stories around me. I hope this work not only inspires young photographers back home in Addis, but also adds to the conversation about what African artists can achieve when given space and support.

This is just the beginning.

From Family Gatherings to New York: My Street Photography Journey