The Voids

This is the 200th edition of Tender Photo, a newsletter on African photography supported by MPB.com.

A weathered wall fills the frame, punctured by small square openings of different sizes. Through them, faces and fragments of bodies appear and disappear: a child peers through one opening; another figure reaches an arm downward; at the upper right, a hand grips the edge of a window. In the largest opening, a boy leans forward, raising two fingers in a gesture that belongs as much to play as to the camera. Beyond each aperture is a field of white light. The wall divides the figures without quite separating them.

—Olaniyi Omiwale

I took this photograph in 2022 along the coast of my home city, Salé, near the beach. I was simply walking at first when I encountered this wall, the interplay of light and shadow, and also the geometry immediately drew my attention, and the human friction happened.

I chose it because it perfectly embodies the absurdity and the quiet contradictions I was feeling during the creation of the “Unending” project. The image captures a mental state: incomplete, and lacking clear answers. It isn’t a photograph made to prove anything or offer a pristine narrative, it is just an honest record of survival, showing that even within confined, turbulent spaces, there are moments of connection and release.

I see art and photography in particular fundamentally as a tool. It’s a visual language for sharing ideas, one that steps in to speak when words simply aren’t available.

Because of that, I like to keep things visually simple. By shooting in black and white and playing with shadows, I can cut through the noise and capture what it actually feels like to be in a space. But the goal is never to explain everything. I’m not trying to offer solutions or hand the viewer clean, resolved lines. Instead, I use the camera to invite people to just sit with life’s inherent absurdity. It’s about letting ourselves float in those unfinished moments, and acknowledging the profound weight of the quiet realities that usually go completely unnoticed.

— Ismail Jaddi

Ismail Jaddi is a Moroccan photographer, born in 2000 from Salé. His work explores how human beings inhabit and interact with their surroundings, paying particular attention to fleeting moments and often imperceptible details. Each work results from a thoughtful and precise process, aiming to reveal both the structure of a space and the subtle movements that animate it. Through his work, he examines the coexistence of presence and absence, showing how everyday gestures can unveil a deeper truth about the human experience. See more of Ismail Jaddi’s work on this website and on his Instagram.

Share Tender Photo

Every week, we feature a rotation of information from our community and partners. To share opportunities for photographers and visual storytellers, as well as virtual events, write us at newsletter@tender.photo.

The Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant is an international photographic competition for young photographers who are 24 years of age or under, or anyone who is studying in a full-time photographic course. Entrants must submit a portfolio of 12 images and a clear proposal of a project they would undertake if they received the grant. The recipient will receive £10,000 towards their chosen project.

Deadline: 31 August 2026. Get the full details and send your pitch here.

This newsletter is the flagship project of Tender Photos, a digital platform of African photography and visual storytelling, founded by Emmanuel Iduma and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀. Our ongoing project, Tender Visions, funds new work by photographers and writers on the African continent in partnership with the Open Society Foundations. Partner with us.

The Tender Photo newsletter is supported by MPB.com. MPB helps you buy, sell or trade used camera gear at the perfect price. By recirculating over half a million items annually, MPB is promoting a brighter photographic future for visual storytellers of all experience levels. When you change your gear with MPB, the planet (and your pocket) will thank you.