Capturing Change: Stories from the Field

Humanitarian photography volunteer Yariv Doron shares his experience

Yariv Doron, a psychiatrist from New Zealand, ventured to South Africa recently to join our humanitarian photography project. As one of five photography volunteers, he captured stories of social impact in rural communities in the Western Cape. In this blog, Yariv shares honest reflections on what it was like to photograph real-world nonprofit work, the unexpected lessons he learned about storytelling, and how the workshop shifted his perspective on the role of photography in creating social impact.

Images by Yariv Doron (and images of Yariv are by Anna Lusty)

Meaningful Work Through a Lens

“My photography truly comes alive when I’m working on meaningful projects, especially those centred around people. Without it, I often feel somewhat lost. Humanitarian photography represents the perfect convergence of everything I’m passionate about: the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, to dive deep into their personal stories and journeys, to explore new places and cultures, and to collaborate with others who share this same drive to create meaningful work through their lens.”

Celebrating Success Stories

“Coming into this experience, I was utterly new to humanitarian photography, but the course fundamentally transformed my perspective. I had initially expected to focus primarily on documenting struggle and hardship, but I discovered something far more powerful. The course opened my eyes to the importance of celebrating success stories and highlighting the remarkable achievements of dedicated individuals and competent NGOs. Rather than dwelling solely on challenges, I learned that photography can be a tool for showcasing resilience, progress, and the positive changes happening in communities.

Working with the young children was absolutely a blast. Witnessing their genuine joy and natural playfulness at the kindergarten provided such an authentic glimpse into their resilience, where hardships and limited resources simply couldn’t diminish the pure nature of a child’s smile or their play.”

Overcoming Challenges in NGO Photography

“The two most significant challenges I faced were the pressure of limited time to produce impactful work and the elusive pursuit of that perfect “money shot.” While I managed to capture a few good enough images throughout the experience, there’s always that search for those one or two extraordinary frames that don’t just document a story but truly offer an impact. The frustrating reality is that these magical moments can’t be forced or manufactured. But when you do manage to capture those rare, powerful images, the feeling is absolutely incredible and makes all the challenges worthwhile.”

Taking the Experience Forward

“This experience has definitely changed me as a photographer. The learning experience from working alongside talented colleagues and knowledgeable supervisors was invaluable, expanding my technical skills and creative vision in ways I hadn’t anticipated. But perhaps most importantly, this workshop has left me with a sense of “hunger” for more.”

Interested in Becoming a Humanitarian Photographer?

If you’re interested in joining our nonprofit photography workshop, we’d love to hear from you! We’re taking applications for our workshop in June 2026, which will also be based in South Africa’s Western Cape. You’ll be based in Stellenbosch, just outside of Cape Town, and work with grassroots projects in surrounding communities. To join this workshop, you’ll need to have a good camera, and a solid photography level – though you by no means need to a be a pro. You mostly need to have a passion for social impact work and a desire to learn how to capture nonprofit projects. We’d love to see your application!