Why stock photos need to reduce the contrast between representation and reality
Updated | By Beautiful News
Karen has created TONL, a stock image site that offers diverse, authentic representations of people of colour.
Do we see the world as it really is? Oftentimes, the media doesn’t portray marginalised groups accurately, or at all. It starts with something as simple as stock photography. These images are used everywhere from textbooks to advertisements. When people aren’t represented in them, it restricts how others recognise their identity. But this began to change the moment Karen Okonkwo and Joshua Kissi stepped into the picture.
While running a blog, Okonkwo recognised the lack of imagery depicting people of colour. So when she met Kissi, an established photographer, the pair joined forces to take on this injustice. In 2016, they launched TONL, an online platform featuring stock photography of a diversity of people. Okonkwo and Kissi have covered individuals in a range of circumstances, from sitting at the dinner table to celebrating Juneteenth. They also share some of their subjects’ stories, offering context and information that enriches each image. By depicting everyone as equals, the site is an entry point to ending discrimination. “Through authenticity, we hope to provide a source of education and start dismantling stereotypes,” Okonkwo says.
With thousands of pictures on their website, content creators can represent real-life diversity, allowing people to view themselves and each other in all their true colours. “Empathy, emotional intelligence, all these things come across when you are able to understand yourself as well as see people who are different than you,” Kissi says. Together, he and Okonkwo are changing the way we perceive the world one snapshot at a time.
Joshua Kissi and Karen OkonkwoStock photography needs authentic representation. This duo is changing the game.
Geplaas deur Beautiful News op Dinsdag 18 Augustus 2020
For more Beautiful News stories see below:
- Three decades on the bike. A lifetime of freedom
- How the oryx cracked the code to thriving in the desert
- For these visionaries, having fun is serious business
- Painting without a brush, this artist transcends convention and borders
- Can we preserve the bloodline of Kenya’s last living super tuskers?
In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, you can help us spread information and hope. Share your positive stories by clicking here and we’ll be in contact.
Main image courtesy of Beautiful News
Show's Stories
-
Woman shows us how she applies her lips daily
This woman's lips are quite something...
Stacey & J Sbu 2 days, 14 hours ago -
Durbanites celebrate the Tazz with Christmas lights
We love how invested Durbanites are when celebrating the Christmas festi...
Danny Guselli 2 days, 16 hours ago