Tobin Jones
Born in Botswana, in a rural hospital his dad likes to remind him only charged them 17 pula for the privilege, Tobin began his life in the small dusty village of Gumare on the banks of the Okovango Delta. It wasn’t too long though, before his family moved on, this time to the the capital city of Lilongwe in Malawi. It was here Tobin spent the majority of his childhood, riding his bike around town, fighting with his siblings, and generally learning how to be a kid. Finally, when he was 10 his family once again moved up the African continent, this time to Kenya - where Tobin finished up high school.
Having photographed throughout Africa, and sometimes further afield, for the last decade - through his work Tobin has attempted to not only cover the breadth of the continent, but also the diversity within it. This has included stories on Somalia’s fight against Al Shabab and the country’s emergence from more than 20 years of civil war, to transgender issues, and the intersection of modern religion with traditional healing practices in slums.
Tobin holds a bachelor’s degree in International Development, with minors in Economics and Political Science, from McGill University and a Master’s degree in Photojournalism from the University of Westminster. Today he lives in Nairobi, Kenya, where he runs the photo collective NonAligned and works as a freelance photographer and videographer.
Awards
Winner, Marty Forscher Fellowship Award 2012 Grand Prize Winner, Echo Foundation 2012 Second Place Visual Storytelling, Pride Photo Competition 2014 Juror’s Choice, Visura Storytelling Awards 2018
Past Work
Tobin Jones’ photography has appeared in multiple publications including The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and many others. He has also worked for multiple international organizations and NGO’s throughout the region, including UNHCR, WFP, the Danish Refugee Council, and the European Union.