20 :: ? As he tells me about the three exhibitions currently showing concurrently on three different continents, he exudes a disposition that assures me everything is going to be just fine. Perhaps this is the quality that sets his work apart in a time when, due to Instagram and Facebook, everyone is a photographer. He explains that one of the most essential components for the further development of any photoshoot into a series is a synergy between himself and the person on the other side of the lens. This is what he describes as his “when you know, you know moment”, such as his interaction with Anyon Asola, one of the models in his Fly by Night series. The intensity of the providence in that first encounter produced a photoshoot that has had three pictures featured in Italian Vogue. With all of the models in Fly by Night not native South Africans, Dingwall explains that the series was a spark ignited by the xenophobic attacks, which have taken place in the country in recent years. “I need to connect to the topic and what I have noticed with myself is that often the topics that resonate with me are when people are being othered for being different.” A trait he attributes to the constant othering that he encountered while growing up in Benoni. While quick to acknowledge that he has no intention of equating his experiences to those of the subjects of his shoots, he is aware of the destructive quality “in us to be able to objectify people and dehumanise them and how this allows us to do the most terrible things to each other.” He cites his work as an act of rebellion against this tendency, with a focus on upliftment and drawing society’s attention towards an unjustly occurring phenomenon. Justin says, in response to how he makes the choice to give himself over to a particular subject matter: “I am continuously jotting down different ideas on different topics that catch my attention, and then when I find something that I know enough about, or that interests me enough to want to know more about, or that I think I can make valuable comment on, I follow that brick road to wherever it may lead me.” Albus, his collaboration with Thando Hopa and Sanele Xaba (both affected with the skin condition albinism), is an act of setting his inner Alice free to explore, while highlighting the fluidity of beauty. The series, he explains, was a commentary on the negative connotations associated with the condition of albinism, especially in an African context. “Beauty in difference is very important for me. We are very much told what to see and how to see it, and how to interact with the world.” Apart from being a source of freedom from the above, Dingwall believes that art is how he absorbs the world, but more especially, it is how he expresses himself in it. And while he admits that fine art is his first love, claiming a 60/40 split in how he allocates his time between the latter and his more commercial pursuits, the photographer does cite a great deal of satisfaction in fulfilling a client’s brief. “It feels great to hand over a project that you know also speaks truthfully to who you are as an artist.” This, Dingwall says, was the case with his January 2018 ELLE Magazine cover shoot with Lootlove. He adds, “Commercially it’s a lot easier to get into the project, but when I’m doing my fine arts it’s really about taking a step back, which is why a project can take two to three years.” While this involves a great deal of giving himself over to a project, there are also moments of finding himself. And, although he always tries to remain respectful of the subject’s experience, he admits that at times he has had some surprising moments of self- reflexivity. “It can be like a mirror you didn’t realise was there until the full meaning behind the project hits you.” One such moment was during the creation of Albus. In the underwater and snake shots, Sanele confronted two of his personal fears. Simply declaring that, “if I want to challenge people’s perception of albinism then I have to challenge my own fears.” “IF I WANT TO CHALLENGE PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF ALBINISM THEN I HAVE TO CHALLENGE MY OWN FEARS.” :: Thandeka Bukula Marketing Associate UJ Arts & Culture