Anthony Ochieng Onyango is a Kenyan conservation photographer who sees photography as a powerful tool for environmental education. From his childhood in Africa’s wildlife-rich landscapes, Anthony takes pride in empowering the next generation of conservation leaders. Founder of the TonyWild Foundation and co-founder of Biophilic Conversations, he shares the joys and challenges of crafting compelling photo stories, how chimpanzees and his film – The Forest Guardian – helped save him, and ways to increase the presence of African voices in wildlife and conservation media spaces.

WMJ: Anthony, you are first and foremost a conservation photographer. What sparked your interest in photography? Could you discuss the joys and challenges of crafting photo stories and share a couple of your favorites?

Growing up in Kenya, wildlife and nature were always a part of my life. From primary school to university, I felt drawn to conservation spaces and went on to pursue a degree in Wildlife Management. But after working for both local and international conservation organizations, I wanted to do more than help with programs. So I decided to feed my passion to be an educator and this is what drew me to conservation photography. This was totally new to me, but I quickly realized photography was so engaging and powerful that it could pass information to anyone regardless of status, age or race. It’s a powerful tool for inclusive environmental education. 

Creating photo stories embeds you deeply into the story in order to capture interesting images – it’s truly awesome. When photographing chimpanzees in Uganda, I was able to connect with them through my camera on a personal level. This is my favorite part, that personal connection. The difficulties of doing photo stories in this current world is to get people to care. Social media is a powerful tool for us to communicate, but to get those images to the whole world is not an easy process and needs lots of commitment and patience. I have to be honest with myself here – the value of this process is igniting passion for wildlife and conservation, and goes beyond the images we create. 

My favorite photo story of 2023 was Living in Harmony with Elephants, which was done in Lake Jipe, Kenya together with Save the Elephants. The interactions between elephants and humans – just WOW. Elephants respected humans and humans respected elephants, and this overall reduced human-wildlife conflict. One of the fishermen even mentioned that, “If they do not see elephants, they get worried and ask where did they go today.” 

During COVID, a climate change photo story showed up at my doorstep and became one of the most impactful photo stories so far in my career. The Ghost Town of Rusinga Island was supported by InfoNile and helped me to host a community photo exhibition in Kenya, and another in Egypt, showcasing the importance of the River Nile to the world and Africa. The images from this photo story were featured in National Geographic, The Guardian, and many other platforms and publications.  

WMJ: You’re the founder of the TonyWild Foundation and Biophilic Conversations. Tell us about these projects and who they benefit. 

The TonyWild Foundation shares inspiring stories and knowledge about nature and wildlife. It was mainly founded to support conservation science and education through photography and film. We also empower young conservation leaders with visual communication tools, training them in photography and filmmaking to help put their passion into action. Our mission is to create awareness about wildlife conservation and hope to reach people’s hearts.

Biophilic Conversations was co-founded by my long-time friend, Victoria Wanjohi, who runs a conservation blog called Nyika Silika. Our mission is to inspire a community of young professionals in the conservation community. We saw the need to promote conservation careers across every space and to let them know that you can make a difference while pursuing your passion. 

“I believe to amplify the voices of African conservation creators, we need to go beyond offering training opportunities and start believing in and funding the ideas of creators.”

Anthony Ochieng Onyango
Founder, TonyWild Foundation

WMJ: You’re connected to the growing community of photographers and filmmakers across Africa. How can we better involve African creators in discussions and showcase their stories and expertise?

When starting seven years ago, this field was a strange place. I can remember a friend mentioning that you are trying to do what white people do – so you have to make a name for yourself. And yes, that was a statement that kept me asking myself, “where are Africans in this space?” It’s 2023 – and WOW – there are so many opportunities and spaces. To be able to be inspired by other African conservation storytellers but also to be part of the space, it’s just incredible. 

This is just the beginning. My hope is to have fellow Africans support African photographers to keep the ubuntu* spirit in everything that we do as Africans. This will go a long way to ensure sustainability. I believe to amplify the voices of African conservation creators, we need to go beyond offering training opportunities and start believing in and funding the ideas of creators. 

*Ubuntu is a Bantu term meaning “humanity”, sometimes translated as “I am because we are” or “humanity towards others”, but is often meant in a philosophical sense to mean “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity”. 

WMJ: Congratulations on the success of your film – The Forest Guardian – which has just won an award at the Blue Water Film Festival. The main character, Mugisa Ssezi, is an incredibly passionate and inspiring individual, having planted over 100,000 trees in four decades. How did you come across his story and decide to share it? 

In 2019, I was in a tough mental space and went on a self-realization journey. I was able to spend some time on Lake Victoria, Uganda with rescued chimpanzees at the Chimpanzee Trust. Not only did I capture some awesome images, but I healed in the process. The rescued chimpanzees gave me a second chance at life and the stories of the chimpanzees led to the production of an award-winning short film called The Forest Guardian, that promotes restoration of forests for biodiversity.

While pursuing the chimpanzee photo story, a friend of mine, Fanny, kept talking about Ssezi and that I should meet him. The first day I met Ssezi, I saw his passion for nature. He was so inspiring that I just wanted the whole world to know about him, and this took me on a new journey from photography to film, because photography alone would have not brought the passion for Ssezi to the people. To support the UN Decade on Restoration, the film was produced at the right time to inspire more people, not only to plant trees but to grow trees for biodiversity. 

WMJ: Your outreach program, Kenya Park’s in Focus, supports 18-24 year-old students, and provides photography equipment and career support. Why did you create this program and why is investing in the next generation important to you? 

The first day I began, the space felt so lonely with very few black African conservation photographer’s to look up to. Most of my inspiration was from conservation photographers from other continents, which was awesome, because they gave me an idea of what it means to be a conservation photographer. This is why I am engaging young people to see the value of this career and also make a living out of it. Photography has never been seen as a lucrative career, but trust me – if you do it well with passion and resilience, it goes a long way. 

The Kenya Parks in Focus program will help more young photographers who are committed and passionate and will help support conservation efforts in Africa. This is my passion and I am happy to invite everyone in the world to invest in these skills that will not only inspire young people but also support nature and wildlife conservation. It also fulfills my legacy and desire to support many young people to see the beauty and value of wildlife through their lens.

WMJ: You hold in-person exhibitions for each project you do, to expand your reach and involve local communities. Why is it important to bring images back to the people involved? 

When I began conservation photography, I thought it was just about taking pictures. But after joining the International League of Conservation Photographers, I learned that your message needs to go beyond the photos themselves. It was so amazing to put it into practice. Communities here in Africa possess avid storytellers, and with the right combination of images, they can spread the story beyond. When we did the photo exhibition on climate change, I went back to the community I took the photos in. I showed them the images and they would explain each one, similar to the article I wrote. This was impressive because none of them had even read the article, but they connected with the images immediately. That is why it is important to return images to the communities you have worked with. It gives them a sense of pride that they hold and the images help amplify that connection. 

WMJ: Any exciting upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?

I am a fan of comedy, and there is no better way of getting into people’s hearts than through comedy. Earlier this year, I met an amazing production company, Buni Media, that creates political satire puppet shows. One famous one is called The XYZ Show – many Kenyans would know about them. We developed an idea called Matata and Friends on Safari, which will be mainly focused on telling conservation stories to kids on TV and live events. I am a scientist, and trust me – in my career, I never thought I would be talking to a puppet!

We did a pitch during Wildscreen Nairobi and we emerged the winners of the pitch. It was my first time on stage as a puppet-conservation-live-TV-host! This was the best moment of my life – seeing the audience laugh out loud and also learning how plastic pollution is affecting the environment. I can’t say much else – I am living my dream. 

📸 Follow along with Anthony’s journey on Instagram @anthony_ochieng_onyango. You can support the initiatives of the TonyWild Foundation (@tonywildke) by donating here.