A ruined building, five Ghanaians and an elegant horse: Ron Timehin’s best photograph
‘I went to this tourist resort in Accra wanting to show how the people who live there fish, play – and rest. Africans aren’t often portrayed in this way. And the horse pulls it all together!’
This was taken at Labadi, a popular tourist resort in Accra, the capital of Ghana. You don’t often see this side of it. People go there for the golden sand and nightlife but they don’t really integrate with the community who live there. I wanted to show how they fish – in traditional canoes – how they rest, how they play.
I love how this door looks fronting a ruined farm building. It represents the freedom of not being bound by walls. And I love the Ghanaian flag on the side – a nod to place and heritage. I just thought it was a beautiful set. The community keeps a few horses in stables, which they use to carry equipment. The one in the picture pulls it all together and adds elegance, because it’s such a majestic and beautiful animal. The way Africans are often portrayed in documentary photography isn’t like this.
I wanted to photograph them in a collaborative way, so that it wasn’t just me going there and observing – it was them presenting themselves as they wanted to be seen. The kids were excited to see the lights and equipment and even helped with setting up. We tried a few poses, but I think this one really sings. They look proud, relaxed, in their element.
The community is centred on fishing. They’re all very fit and I was drawn to the way they look after each other and the pride they take in where they’re from. I noticed, especially with the younger kids, that they really look up to the teenagers and they want to do their parents proud. In contrast, I’m based in London and I don’t even know my neighbours.
I worked in a hybrid way, taking two kinds of portraits. I love photographing people in their space. It’s a beautiful thing, to celebrate where they are from, what home is to them and what that means. I also took a mobile studio to do some portraits excluding the environment. I visited five communities for this project and did that in every location.
The project began when I was approached by a charity called My Runway Group. They do cultural exchange programmes, and arranged for me to go to Accra and document it, while sharing some culture between the UK and Ghana, because obviously there are quite a lot of ties there.
It was my first time in the country and, while my family heritage is Sierra Leonean and Nigerian, I have family who live in Accra. It was good to finally go there and experience another part of west Africa. I’m having an exhibition in London of images from all of the communities. I promised them that we would sell some prints and that part of the money would help to fund things they want to build, like an art centre. I would love to go back and do a follow-up.
• Ron Timehin is shortlisted in the Sony World Photography awards 2026. The accompanying exhibition is at Somerset House, London, 17 April to 4 May. Guardian readers can use code GUARDIAN15 (valid until 4 May, 5pm) to redeem a 15% discount on exhibition tickets. Timehin’s exhibition is at Noho Galleries, London, from 18-21 June.
Ron Timehin’s CV
Born: 1993, Swindon, but I have lived in London since I was four.
High point: Directing Dove’s PR campaign on race-based hair discrimination, a project that contributed to a change in US legislation. And being shortlisted for the Sony World Photography awards for this photography project in Ghana is undoubtedly a career highlight.
Top tip: Follow your curiosity, stay hungry to learn, and make work that’s personal to you. The photographers who last aren’t chasing trends – they’re building a point of view.