To celebrate their new generation of Instant cameras, the Now and Now+, Polaroid have gathered together a team of fifteen photographers from around the world. It’s a diverse group that includes both emerging talent and established figures, all with the collective goal of championing the beauty of real life and inspiring creatives to embrace the unpredictable, messy, and uncontrollable aspects of life. Together their work forms Polaroid’s Real Life Captured exhibition.

Each photographer has a captivating story behind their art, capturing the wonderful narratives that unfold in real life through the medium of Polaroid photography. One of the Visionary Photographers, the Johannesburg-based Karabo Mooki is a photographer and filmmaker whose work follows unique narratives and provides a voice to an unapologetic generation. He highlights the experiences and lives of the Black community in South Africa and internationally, drawing his focus to social issues where the roots of adversity go deep through our shared history and culture. For Polaroid’s Real Life campaign, Karabo was specifically tasked with capturing the essence of having to wait – cue moments of suspended time, stretching shadows and twilight hues. We speak with the photographer below.

What first made you pick up a camera and start taking photos?
Karabo Mooki: I’ve been tethered to photography for as long as I can remember. I’ve always had a tenacious curiosity for the world, and that’s what led me to explore the depths of visual literacy and art. Early on, I learnt that photography is a powerful tool to help decolonize my mind and that of the communities I began working with. That’s why I began focusing on stories that would allow viewers to engage with political and social issues. Photography has taught me the importance of searching for and sharing the truth of my people’s stories.

How would you describe your photography style?
KM: It’s not so much my style that is important, but the message of the work and the communities I am embedded with. My relationship with my camera is bound by integrity, and I utilise it as a tool to search for the truth and celebrate the beauty of that truth.

Touching on this particular project, what does Polaroid mean to you?
KM: Polaroid is almost like an additional family member to me. I remember growing up and paging through photo albums stacked with iconic polaroid frames with eternal memories in them. Now, working with brand feels like it has come full circle.

How does living in Johannesburg influence your work? How does the light, community and landscape influence you?
Being a part of the community in Johannesburg has had a huge impression on my voice and my vision as a photographer. I continue to learn from my environments – respecting and honouring the communities I engage with has given my work a sense of intimacy and authenticity that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

I am grateful for the golden African light and the natural light that illuminates Johannesburg most days and how it elevates my work. It is hard to compare the beauty in the saturation and the hues of the African skies.

How do you think photography can highlight social issues and adversity and how do you try and do this within your work?
I will always explore political themes in my work. Representation is paramount, and I believe it is a catalyst for incredible developments within communities. As I mentioned earlier, I realise the importance of decolonizing my own mind through photography. The weight of institutionalised colonialism that I have carried with me has become more apparent as I’ve grown up and experienced the world, and I recognise how this system of oppression planted doubt in my self-worth. This is why it is so important for me to highlight and celebrate Black culture in all its glory.

Your use of light and shadow is really incredible, what’s your favourite time to take photos?
I try to utilise any time of day, it’s all dependent on the moment I’m capturing. Life is too unpredictable to be tied to a schedule.

“Life is too unpredictable to be tied to a schedule.”

Is there a photograph that really resonates with you?
A self-portrait entitled, Blissful Solitude (below).
 In the winter of 2012, I woke up on a cabin room floor at the break of dawn in Frafjord, Norway. Beyond the glass door and curtains that diffused the morning light, revealed the bay of the fjord and majestic Nordic mountains, which is not a common place for a Black man from South Africa to find themselves. The views took me away, but at the time, I could not stand the sight of landscape art, it reminded me of the countless cis white male artists I was forced to study in high school. I found myself summoning the courage to take the portrait of myself in this enchanting scenery to create a moment I had never imagined before.

“It’s not so much my style that is important, but the message of the work and the communities I am embedded with.”

Is there inherent value in the act of waiting? How do you navigate this challenge?
I truly believe there is an inherent value in practicing patience. Photography is one of the few art forms that has introduced this into my life. Analogue photography, in my experience, has reinforced how important these values are and then some. Being able to connect with community requires patience, and understanding the importance of being meticulous with the practice of creating an image helps further my progression as an artist.

It’s always healthy for me to recognise my failures and learn from my mistakes. These challenges can only come from learning to humble yourself. Do not let the ego and the pursuit of fame dilute the message of the work. I remind myself that work I am passionate about and feel a connection to will take time to curate and reach audiences that will resonate with it.

What specific elements or emotions do you seek in your subjects that embody real life?
Earning people’s trust is vital. I have to build a connection and demonstrate my respect for the communities I engage with by upholding their trust, and it is from there that I am able to witness and capture real stories layered with real people’s emotions and vulnerabilities. There’s an authenticity that cannot be orchestrated.

Karabo captures Real Life using the Polaroid Now+ Generation 2 i-Type Instant Camera, to find out more see here.