The photographer without a camera

Ben Moyo falls in love every time he takes a picture. With a gift for scratching beneath the banal surface of everyday life, the young photographer unearths beauty in overlooked places. Talented and passionate, creative and perceptive, he has risen to Instagram fame using only his phone.

Moyo was born in Zimbabwe, moving to South Africa in 2011. His introduction to photography came when a primary school teacher asked him to photograph the class. Later in life, he carried camera equipment as an apprentice to his father’s friend. When he arrived in Cape Town lacking the means to afford professional gear, he found his niche wandering the streets, taking photographs on his phone. That same attitude – and that same phone – has seen his work featured in Elle Magazine and Design Indaba.

Moyo has been offered opportunities to do conceptual high-end fashion shoots with big brands but remains committed to capturing reality. Being in uncontrolled environments taking pictures of ordinary people is how Moyo likes to work. His camera is a tool he uses to tackle issues that are difficult to discuss; he wants people to see his subjects bare all. Pictures are his way of engaging in people’s mortality and vulnerability.