Demystifying Contemporary Africa with Lou Jones and the panAFRICAproject

Above Photograph © Lou Jones

Africa is the cradle of our civilization. Yet, most Westerners see this massive continent from a distance, and often through a scrim of largely negative headlines. 

For more than a decade, Boston-based photographer Lou Jones has sought to challenge this misperception. In 2013, he launched an in-depth photographic documentation of individual countries across Africa under the title the panAFRICAproject. 

Jones joins us on today’s podcast to recap his efforts to date, which currently encompasses a third of Africa’s 54 nations. 

Listen in to learn how the project came to be—growing from a solo endeavor to travels with two assistants and enough photo and lighting gear to illuminate an airplane factory. We also discuss the delicate mix of diplomacy and six degrees of separation Jones employs when negotiating access to photograph—plus much, much more.

“We're talking about contemporary Africa,” Jones points out. “Talking to people local—not academics in America—to tell us what's important to their culture, what's important to their country, what's important to their community, what's important to their company. Directly from people living there.”

Guest: Lou Jones
Episode Timeline:

2:58: Lou’s earliest trips to Africa predating the panAFRICAproject, then traveling to Ghana to start the project.

7:26: The logistics of travel as a solo photographer and the six degrees of separation that informs his photographic process. 

11:33: The substantial diplomacy required in meetings to negotiate access, while avoiding cliches and stereotypes.

19:29: The value of Lou’s images as currency in gaining access to photograph business environments.

26:18: The evolution of Lou’s photo crew, planning and packing for multiple purposes, plus the art of trading down with project costs.

32:10: The contents of Lou’s gear bags, and how he packs everything from cameras to Speedlights to lighting accessories.

39:53: Photography as a bridge to cultural sensitivity and the relationship between a photographer and his or her subjects.

43:08: EPISODE BREAK

44:00: The evolving process of planning each trip to Africa and the constant work when boots are on the ground.

48:12: The complex algorithm Lou and his team use in planning which African country to document next.

53:56: Technological advances and cultural trends coming full circle in Africa, plus cell phone use and fin tech.

59:45: Two cultures side-by-side. Documenting the parallel worlds of contemporary society and indigenous traditions in daily life.

1:05:56: Use of photographs from the panAFRICAproject and maintaining connections with photographic subjects. 

1:08:12: Kickstarter and crowdfunding campaigns to support panAFRICAproject travel and books.

1:16:03: Next steps in the panAFRICAproject and the project’s impact on a local, grass roots level.

Guest Bio: The eclectic career of Lou Jones has spanned every camera format, film type, artistic movement, and technological change, while simultaneously evolving from the commercial to the personal. Recognized by Nikon as a “Legend Behind the Lens” and honored as a Lowepro “Champion,” Jones has maintained a photography studio in Boston for more than 40 years, all while traveling to over 65 foreign countries on assignment.

Jones works primarily with advertising agencies and design studios for corporate clients such as Nike, Mobil, and Federal Express, as well as influential publications like Time, Fortune, and National Geographic, among many others.

The author of more than a dozen books, Jones is also an esteemed educator and has served as a board member for organizations such as ASMP National, the Photographic Resource Center and the Griffin Museum of Photography. 

In tandem with his busy assignment career, Jones pursues long term projects on subjects as div