Photographer Tom van der Leij travels the world, encountering everything from wildlife to bustling cities through his lens. In Mozambique, he picked up a few tricks of the fashion-photography trade along the way.
Last December marked the sixth Mozambique Fashion Week (MFW). Three years ago, my friend and fashion designer Taibo Bacar invited me to photograph the show. I had no experience at all with fashion photography, models, or designers, but thought it would be fun to take a look.
I had little idea what to expect and imagined a somewhat amateurish, disjointed show. Mozambique is, after all, still desperately poor. Yet the event proved far more professional than I had anticipated. Now, on my third visit, capturing the essence of a subject I do not naturally gravitate toward remains a challenge.
Because I travel to southern Africa every year to write stories and make photographs, I do not need to book a special trip for MFW. Maputo is also one of my favorite cities: remarkably safe by African standards, cosmopolitan, possessed of a certain Latin charm, and home to friendly people eager to rebuild.
Jostling for the best spot only to make more or less the same photograph as everyone else is not for me
The city gains another photogenic dimension from its mix of Marxist-style concrete apartment blocks and decaying Portuguese Art Deco villas lining broad avenues. Early in the morning, when the light is beautifully soft, it is a wonderful place to photograph.
Ten years ago, I sometimes encountered people who believed that taking their picture would steal their soul. Today, Mozambicans generally have no objection to being photographed. If I photograph them too conspicuously, they come over and ask to see the result on the rear display.
That certainly applies to the fashion models at MFW. They willingly let themselves be photographed from every angle and invariably ask me to email them the pictures. At first I sometimes forgot, until I realized that my photographs help shape their portfolios and may therefore help them find work.
The female models sometimes have, by Western fashion standards, quite ample figures.
Since then, I have always sent them the photographs. My friend Taibo enjoys greater success every year. He had his breakthrough last year and now shows his work in New York and Milan. Following him over the years has been rewarding and gives me another reason to attend for the third time.
The models represent every shade of brown, from very light brown to a beautiful, deep dark-brown complexion with an almost blue-black velvet sheen. The men are muscular, while some of the women have, by Western fashion standards, quite ample figures.
There are many more photographers this year than at previous editions. Even a BBC World camera crew is filming. MFW is growing in popularity. The week is divided into several fashion shows at different venues. The opening evenings feature young designers and commercial fashion brands.
The week clearly reaches its peak in the second half, when international designers from several African countries present their new collections. This year, the old Portuguese fort served as the venue. In the beautifully illuminated fort, the country’s fashionable elite gather to see and be seen.
A scrum of photographers has gathered at the end of the runway, each seeking the best position.
That gives me even more reason to stay well away. Jostling for the best spot only to make more or less the same photograph as everyone else is not for me. So once again I quietly circle the runway until, after a little maneuvering and climbing, I find the perfect overhead shot.
Professionals that they are, they play along and pose for me quite naturally
The next day, I do the same: move around the subject, photograph from different angles, and make a few pictures in the dressing rooms. A true fashion photographer would have little use for this approach; they want the models straight on, at eye level, and lit with flash.
On the next-to-last day, the fashion show takes place in the garden of the prestigious Polana Hotel, a magnificent colonial building. The runway extends to the water. While the photographers clustered along its edge fire their flashes relentlessly, I position myself across the pool with a telephoto lens and a barstool serving as a tripod.
This lets me work with two cameras: a telephoto lens for close-ups and a moderately wide-angle lens for attractive overview shots of the fashion show.
As in previous years, the closing night is held at CFM, Maputo’s old railway station. I decide to bring only my fixed 50mm f/1.4 lens and no flash, so I can carry the camera in a small waist pack.
At my first edition here, this approach immediately produced my best photograph. Two models are waiting to step onto the runway.
Professionals that they are, they play along and pose for me quite naturally.
By the end of Mozambique Fashion Week, I have had my fill of fashion photography. Everyone is beautiful, and photographing them is hardly a hardship. But I am not cut out for it; it is a specialized profession, and I do not find it especially enjoyable.
Fortunately, the very next day I can return to what I do enjoy: photographing real people.
Want to learn more about this author and photographer? Visit the Tom van der Leij page.
With thanks to the Polana Hotel, www.serenahotels.com, and the Cardoso Hotel, www.hotelcardoso.co.mz.
