08: The Photojournalist’s Path with Khadija Farah

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Today we speak with an incredible travel and documentary photographer Khadija Farah.

In today's episode, I speak to Khadija Farah, a travel and documentary photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya. Khadija’s work appears in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Guardian and more. And in this episode, we dig into the highs and the lows of being a freelance photographer and discuss why womxn are making this industry a more welcoming and accessible space.

Khadija is a member of Inland Stories, an international cooperative of long-term documentary photographers. Her work is part of the 2020 Lit List by Authority Collective, Women Photograph, Diversify Photo, and World Press Photo's African Photojournalism Database (APJD). Khadija’s most recent project includes In Bibi's Kitchen, a cookbook with recipes and stories from eight African nations for which she produced all on location images. The book is out now by Penguin Random House. I'm so excited to have Khadija on the show today and I hope you enjoy this episode.

“At the beginning, you feel that you're not getting regular jobs because you're not good enough. You never think, oh, I just started, I don't have the connections, or I don't know how to navigate the space yet. We just automatically go to the place where we think that we're worthless, we're not talented enough. And it’s just a matter of figuring out what you’re good at and what you like to photograph. Once you get your foot in the door, things become easier.”

“Most of us want to uplift each other… There is enough space for everybody and I don’t view people who ask me questions as competition. Photographers are protective of their craft like it’s some kind of thing that shouldn’t be shared, but what is the point of existing if you don’t get to share your gifts and skills with other people?”

Want to know how you can start publishing your travel stories? Download my step-by-step guide to publishing your stories and start sending your ideas out into the world!

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • [05:52] The hard adjustments Khadija went through growing up in Nairobi and moving to the US at an early age

  • [11:33] What it felt like to return to live in Kenya as an adult

  • [14:04] Khadija explains why she doesn’t ever see herself living in the US again 

  • [21:43] Khadija’s early awareness of the lack of diversity in professional photography circles

  • [22:42] From pre-med, to journalism, to anthropology and beyond

  • [25:31] How Khadija’s quick vacation back home in Kenya led to a job as a Social Worker in a refugee camp where she rediscovered her love of photography

  • [28:51] The impact of calling yourself a photojournalist

  • [29:58] Connecting with role models in the digital era and the value it brings

  • [36:56] Why we need to silence the voices that tell us we’re not good enough

  • [39:52] Thriving during a pandemic?

  • [43:34] Khadija’s approach to freelancing as a path to fund her dream long-term projects

  • [44:33] The power of reframing downtime when no assignments are coming in

  • [46:44] There is no blueprint to freelancing success, you have to carve your own path

  • [50:07] Khadija shares why it’s important not to tie your worth to your work and the publications you pitch to

  • [52:47] Finding hope during the pandemic in creativity

Featured on the show:

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