Interview with Thom Pierce; Published in our print edition #01

Thom Pierce is a photographer based in Cape Town. He is originally from the UK and has lived in South Africa since 2009. His work explores the line between art and documentary photography.

Thom Pierce is a photographer based in Cape Town. He is originally from the UK and has lived in South Africa since 2009.

His work explores the line between art and documentary photography.Central to this is the use of photography as a way to engage with the world around him. He uses the camera to explore issues of cultural, social and historical significance and to discover the richly diverse country that he now calls home.

In 2015 a collection of his images were acquired by the South African National Gallery for their permanent collection in Cape Town. His photographs have been published in many news publications (The Guardian, Sunday Times, Mail & Guardian, NPR), books, magazines and have featured heavily as part of several human rights campaigns. [Official Website][Print Edition][Digital Edition]

Self-portrait: Interview with Thom Pierce / Dodho Magazine

Can you tell a little about yourself?

I am a documentary and portrait photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. I grew up on the island of Jersey and moved here in 2009.

How did you get interested in photography?

I remember my father having a large book called Chronicles of the 21st Century. I used to sit for hours looking at the pictures and learning about the world. I didn’t know any photographers but I somehow got an old SLR and convinced my parents to let me make a darkroom in the garage. I worked for a long time in the UK music industry and toured the world with several bands. Whilst I was travelling I was taking photographs and it soon became apparent to me that I needed to do it full time.

What inspired you to take your images?

I have always travelled a lot and been interested in the world outside of the little Island I grew up on. Photography is a way for me to engage with people and places, learn about history and politics and pass that knowledge on in an accessible way. I strive to make each image and project more impactful and tell a more complete story. I am constantly amazed at how photography has the ability to grab someones attention and show them something that they haven’t seen or didn’t know about. For me that is the motivation I need to make the best work possible.

Three words that describe your works?

Inquisitive, real, storytelling

How would you define your general style of photography?

I like to think that it is a mix of documentary and art. I don’t claim to be a photojournalist because I like to use lighting, composition and collaboration with the subject to tell a story but I do think of it as documentary. I try to approach each situation in an aesthetic way and am always aware of the artistic elements of what I am trying to achieve.

In your opinion, what makes a good photograph?

Balance. I think it is all about balance. I think you have to have an intuition when you are looking through the viewfinder and you adjust until you feel a sense of balance. I don’t just mean balance in terms of objects and form but also in terms of simplicity, colour, focus, contrast, depth and everything else that comes together to create a compelling image.

What do you think makes a memorable project?

Well the subject matter is incredibly important, some photographs are amazing just because of what they photograph, and when that theme becomes a series it can make for an amazing project. A technically great photograph without a denser meaning to it just feels hollow to me. Even with editorial work, I love portraits but I want to see (and make) more than just a well lit photograph.

How do you know you got the shot you wanted?

Intuition. I generally don’t take a huge amount of images of each scene or subject, but I know as soon as I press the shutter when I got the one I wanted (as long as it is in focus!).

Your idea of the perfect composition?

Balance, simplicity and the right light (whatever that is for what you are trying to achieve).

What would I find in your camera bag?

I try and take as little as possible but because I like to use lighting then it becomes hard to travel light. I carry a Nikon D800 with fixed 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lenses. I carry a Profoto B1 and a set of B2’s – depending on what I am doing I will take all or just one of them. Some ND filters and some light shapers get strapped onto the side.

What future plans do you have?

I am off to work in the tiny mountainous country of Lesotho for a while, I am trying to build a backpack mounted lighting rig that I can use without an assistant and to create a documentary project there.

Finally, one last question. What opinion do you have of our print edition?

It is a great quality and I love the range of styles that are represented. It is always nice to see your work in print but especially so when the print quality is very high and the overall product feels like a work of art.

More Stories

Tropical hair salons by Laurent Muschel

Tropical hair salons by Laurent Muschel

In Africa and Latin America, hairdressers not only cut, shave and style hair; they build up hair like real architects.  The tropical "Salon de coiffure" is, however, a very diverse world; from street barbershops to posh hair salons.
Travel Photography by Mauro De Bettio

Travel Photography by Mauro De Bettio

Born and raised in a little village in the Italian Alps, now based in Barcelona, Mauro already felt from young age the desire to tell. He discovered that the camera was the right tool for him, the eye through which he could speak to the world.
Ortega’s Nicaragua by Emanuele Giovagnoli

Ortega’s Nicaragua by Emanuele Giovagnoli

January 2017 marked the beginning of the 3rd consecutive term as President of Nicaragua of Daniel Ortega, a former Sandinista rebel fighter who took part in the Sandinista Revolution in 1979
https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bannerpr.jpg

We invite you to participate in the first edition of the Portrait Photography Awards. Our call is open to any artistic interpretation of portrait photography.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BAnImage.jpg

ImageRights provides intelligent image search and copyright enforcement services to photo agencies and professional photographers worldwide.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/mono2022.jpg

The best 100 images along with the winning images published in the yearly book “Monochromatic – Best Photographers of 2022”

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/banner24.jpg

Call For Entries #24 | After 23 editions and more than 100 published photographers, our print edition has proven to be a simply effective promotional channel.

Weavers by Kannan Muthuraman

Weavers by Kannan Muthuraman

Thirumazhisai is a suburb of Chennai, India, located in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. It was once famous for its traditional weaving business.
Fashion; Glamour photography of Ludek Ciganek

Fashion; Glamour photography of Ludek Ciganek

I was born in Trebic, Czech Republic, where I also currently live. Photography has fascinated me even as a child, ever since my father allowed me to handle his film SLR camera
La Jeune Fille Et La Mort by Milana Angelova

La Jeune Fille Et La Mort by Milana Angelova

Milana Angelova was born in the beautiful Omsk of Siberia. It was said that the day she was born, hundreds of white doves sang songs on the roof.
Interview with Antonio Peinado ; Honorable Mention in our Black & White Award 2017

Interview with Antonio Peinado ; Honorable Mention in our Black & White Award 2017

Knowing that my works are published in wide-spread media such as Dodho magazine and in his book Black & White Book 2017 is a joy, and I am even more pleased knowing that it will reach people interested in photography as Art.
Thanatophobia by Valerie Decleer

Thanatophobia by Valerie Decleer

In reaction to my father’s death, I use the camera to describe my inner emotions. I found myself entangled in a complex web of emotions and reactions.  I felt disorientated, as if I had lost my place and purpose in life.  I was living in a different world.
Turkish Oil Wrestling by Alain Schroeder

Turkish Oil Wrestling by Alain Schroeder

In the heat of the blazing sun, skin glistening with olive oil, wearing only the traditional kispet (thick leather pants), men of all ages, pair off to wrestle in the oldest sport in recorded history after the Olympic Games.
Abandoned Old Airport of Nicosia by Dimitris Sideridis

Abandoned Old Airport of Nicosia by Dimitris Sideridis

This work is part of my wider engagement focused on abandoned places and the connection between space and historical memory. "Nicosia International Airport" is such a place. 
Signs and Wonders by Alva Bernadine

Signs and Wonders by Alva Bernadine

In my project Signs and Wonders, I play with different kinds of signs we may encounter everyday. There is so much signage in our towns and cities we generally take them for granted but when I turned my gaze upon them, a walk around my neighborhood became redolent with creative possibilities.
Shemara – My own vision of children’s photography.

Shemara – My own vision of children’s photography.

My strength lies in perfecting the image, this is my principle and vision.
The Nenets by Sara Bianchi

The Nenets by Sara Bianchi

The Nenets are an ethnic minority with fewer than 50.000 people dedicated to reindeer breeding. They live in Yamal peninsula, Siberia. Yamal in the language of the indigenous means "the end of the world"
Huésped by Diego Moreno

Huésped by Diego Moreno

I grew up in a family environment where domestic violence is one of the most marked circumstances in my life, the same setback that has made me constantly migrate.
Building by Margery Clay

Building by Margery Clay

A building, which is objectively the remains or evidence of individual and collective history, transforms itself into something more, the trace of a lived experience which allows the viewer to unfold meaning.
The Mara by Anup Shah

The Mara by Anup Shah

I live in the wild for long stretches of time. Inevitably, I fall under the spell of wild animals. It dawns on me that these are intelligent, emotional, social and personable beings. I connect with their sentience.
Travel photography; Hornbill Festival by Nilesh Kumar

Travel photography; Hornbill Festival by Nilesh Kumar

The Hornbill festival is one of the favourite festivals of Nagaland. The Hornbill festival is celebrated in the first week of December every year in Kohima, the capital city of Nagaland.
The sound of silence by Eduardo Asenjo

The sound of silence by Eduardo Asenjo

The differences can’t be considered limitations, although in our culture these concepts are commonly used as synonyms, limitations are no more than the opportunity to find other routs for the same end, and there is where I find my inspiration: "The sound of silence "
Hidden Souls – Street Photography by Omri Shomer

Hidden Souls – Street Photography by Omri Shomer

It is said that the eyes are the window to our souls. Studies show, through their eyes, it is possible to know everything about a person. When people are sad or worried

Featured Stories

Gili Yaari : Stranded in Greece – Greece Refugee Crisis

Gili Yaari : Stranded in Greece – Greece Refugee Crisis

Greece has become a flashpoint for the migrant crisis in Europe over the past year. More than 1 million people illegally crossed into Europe in 2015 alone, with some 800,000 of them arriving via Greece.
Michele Palazzo ; Street Photography

Michele Palazzo ; Street Photography

Michele Palazzo. Italian by blood, Architect by training, and Photographer by heart. Visual storyteller, weaving narratives through people’s movements and emotions. He lives and operate in New York.
Anja Matko ; String of life and other works

Anja Matko ; String of life and other works

Inspiration for this series she got from her own life and situations that was in at that moment. This series is about life, searching for the right path in your life, the obstacles you have to overcome to reach your goal.
Marine Species by Wesley Dombrecht

Marine Species by Wesley Dombrecht

The idea for the series ‘Marine Species’ started with my fascination for the sea, water and everything that lives in it. In this series I want to give the viewer a different look at a variety off sea life, that has been portrayed in a very aesthetic way, minimalistic, where the focus is on the subject, with a playful link incorporated in it.
Ordinary days is beautiful  by Takako Fukaya

Ordinary days is beautiful by Takako Fukaya

Takako Fukaya has three daughters. They are so special to her. Also she thinks “Children” like them is a hope and a future in this world.
In the bath by Zuzu Valla

In the bath by Zuzu Valla

The series ''In the Bath'' came into my mind one day when l was walking home from town, feeling weary of life and the weather.
Ape dumma – Open your eyes by Czuko Williams

Ape dumma – Open your eyes by Czuko Williams

There is an strong untold story among the ancient tribes who lives in Ethiopia. The story of the loss of traditional way of life due the process of deculturation, transculturation, and mainly because of progress.
Le chat noir by Le Turk

Le chat noir by Le Turk

Le Turk was born one night simply when listening by chance to Bach's Saint John Passion, nice and loud in headphones.
First Call Out by Jen Davis

First Call Out by Jen Davis

Since the publication of my first monograph “Eleven Years,” I found that most of what I wanted to say in this self-portrait series had been said, and I was interested in taking a break from the intensity of looking at my own body.
Self-Untitled by Samantha Geballe

Self-Untitled by Samantha Geballe

Self-Untitled is an on-going self-portrait series that aims at establishing connection through vulnerability, and combating the shame that separates us from one another. Shame can be understood as the fear of disconnection.
Urban sprawl, emptiness by Emmanuel Monzon

Urban sprawl, emptiness by Emmanuel Monzon

This project was selected and published in our print edition 19. Deserts of the American West and their poetic and chaotic processions of motorway interchanges, cities without centers, residential zones without inhabitants.
Portraits with Wet Plate Collodion by Paul Alsop & Luke White

Portraits with Wet Plate Collodion by Paul Alsop & Luke White

Wet Plate Collodion is a historic photographic process that was pioneered and used in the In the mid to late 1800's by an English photographer called Frederick Scott Archer.
Photo manipulation by Sulaiman Almawash

Photo manipulation by Sulaiman Almawash

Photo manipulation is a mix of photography and graphic design. Combining lot of elements and create an unique image. It requires lot of creative skills, is a great source for inspiration and its always great fun and joy when you work on particular concept.
Oshichi by Michiko Chiyoda

Oshichi by Michiko Chiyoda

‘Oshichi’ is a name of the doll and ‘she’ played as a 16-year-old girl who was put to death by burning at the stake for committing arson.
Heroes by Erberto Zani

Heroes by Erberto Zani

Acid attack survivors in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh most of the people called them “monsters” or, sometimes, “victims”. But they prefer to be considered “survivors”. For me are heroes.
Riccardo La Valle ; Inusual and alienating

Riccardo La Valle ; Inusual and alienating

Riccardo La Valle is a photographer based in Milan, he was born in Latina in 1987, he came in touch with photography at the age of 21 years. Riccardo La Valle creates images that are ripe with juxtapositions: delicate yet bold, sensual yet strong.

Trending Stories

Flow and Reflections by Florence Gallez

Flow and Reflections by Florence Gallez

These 20 images are part of my Flow and Reflections series that offers delicate, at times dreamy, black-and-white scenes of a photographic journey through Russia, Cuba, Belgium, and the United States.
America in a Trance by Niko J.Kallianiotis

America in a Trance by Niko J.Kallianiotis

About two decades ago my father moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and this was only my second experience with the United States.In the late 70’s he took the journey from Greece to the Big Apple to pursue a PhD, which led him to the Keystone State.
Viet Ha Tran – An ephemeral moment of feminine emotions

Viet Ha Tran – An ephemeral moment of feminine emotions

Viet Ha is a Vietnamese romanticism-influenced fine art photographer currently residing in Madrid, Spain. Instead of taking photos, she tries to draw pictures of women's emotions,
Animal metamorphosis by Enric Macià

Animal metamorphosis by Enric Macià

Metamorphosis animal comes from fear of finding oneself, obligation to be as society wants us to be, how we are really?
China culture : Teahouse by Thomas Phoon

China culture : Teahouse by Thomas Phoon

Ancient Chinese scholars used the teahouse as a place for sharing ideas. The teahouse was a place where political allegiances and social rank were said to have been temporarily suspended in favour of an honest and rational discourse.
Travel photography; Africa Through my lens by Frederick van Heerden

Travel photography; Africa Through my lens by Frederick van Heerden

Frederick van Heerden Lives in South Africa. He has a passion & love for nature & the wildlife in Africa. He captures the beauty of creation through his lens.
An iron cast foundry by Sagnik Datta

An iron cast foundry by Sagnik Datta

The workers of that foundry works for long 12 hours shift or even more sometimes in the boiling rage of heat. They do not have sufficient protective gears while working with hot molten iron.
War Phones by Henry Hargreaves

War Phones by Henry Hargreaves

During the Vietnam nearly all US soldier carried a Zippo lighter. As the soldiers were initially forbidden from modifying the exterior of their uniform they would use engrave their lighters
Northern Chad by Joxe Inazio Kuesta

Northern Chad by Joxe Inazio Kuesta

It could be said that Chad is formed by three great zones: one to the south that would be the fertile one, the savannah; another central one that would be the sahel, and the north that would be the desert, the arid zone.
Shinji Ichikawa : The essence

Shinji Ichikawa : The essence

I was born to a family who ran a photo studio; thus, I was raised in an environment surrounded by photography. The town where I was born and grew up is famous as the spot where Japanese spirits would come to gather from all over the country in the tenth month of the old calendar.
New York; Red Hook by Lisa Cutler

New York; Red Hook by Lisa Cutler

I discovered Red Hook by chance, making a wrong turn getting off the Smith Street Train Station in Brooklyn. Over the course of the next two years, I returned to photograph this urban, gritty wonderland.
CaMg(CO3)2/CaCO3 by Alessandro Ciccarelli

CaMg(CO3)2/CaCO3 by Alessandro Ciccarelli

In his latest series for Monkeyphoto, Alessandro Ciccarelli presents “Erehwon, CaMg(CO3)2/CaCO3”, 26 black and white photographs published in the form of posterzine, or rather, prints on large format sheets (45x30cm).


Other Stories

stay in touch
Join our mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest stories, opportunities, calls and more.
We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By Clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with their terms of use
We’d love to
Thank you for subscribing!
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted.
- Between 10/30 images of your best images, in case your project contains a greater number of images which are part of the same indivisible body of work will also be accepted. You must send the images in jpg format to 1200px and 72dpi and quality 9. (No borders or watermarks)
- A short biography along with your photograph. (It must be written in the third person)
- Title and full text of the project with a minimum length of 300 words. (Texts with lesser number of words will not be accepted)
This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Contact
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Get in Touch
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.