THABO MTHOMBENI

Downtown Thabz is what they call Thabo Mthombeni as HE MOVES THROUGH THE INDUSTRY WITH KNACK AND DISCERNMENT. He centres himself in the right place at the right time. He involves himself in a crowd to land images that we’ll probably be looking back at years from now with nostalgia and euphoria. Thabz locks in moments that require a wit and swift - of which he’s got. Whether it’s at Vogue Night, Boiler Room SA or Feel Good Series many were snapped having the best time. He’s managed to occupy a reputable list of event spaces, placing himself right in the middle of play and connection with subjects. It began with photography but his journey sees him spilling his creativity over into videography too. Thando noted that he’s busy cooking and conceptualising ideas that will later translate into something bigger. We’re excited to see what’s in the pipeline.

WHO’S DOWNTOWN THABZ FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW?

My name is Downtown Thabz, my actual name is Thabo Mthombeni. I started photography when I was in high school when I started taking pictures for the school rugby team during WAR cries. My mom bought me a camera at 16 when she saw I took an interest in photography. Literally the day she. Ought it I started messing around, playing with some of the settings on the camera. I didn’t know much about it, I was just trying it out. Fast forward a few years I start film school at Wits university and the first kind of introduction to proper photography is there. From there I just started taking my camera everywhere. A few of my friends like the images. A few event managers also liked the images and thought they could use them as promotions etc. I kind of took an interest in that. I liked being in those event spaces where people are their happiest really. Capturing moments for me isn’t difficult. It’s the first place where I learnt how to be a proper photographer. Then I started working with Kop Johannesburg and then from there I got other opportunities to work with Vogue nights. I’ve been shooting with them since 2019. Those two events really helped me get more opportunities and grow as a photographer. In terms of my own personal work it was mostly documentary styled work. Documenting where I’m at.

YOU DABBLE IN VIDEOGRAPHY AND EDITING TOO. CAN WE SPEAK ABOUT BEING UNBOXED AS A CREATIVE AND THE FLOW OF LEADING INTO OTHER MEDIUMS.

I think it’s important to always make time to create things and to evolve as a person. The whole term of being unboxed is a way of living. I DJ sometimes, I’ve played a couple DJ gigs. I’ve put mixes up on soundcloud. I’ve made a couple songs that I have to admit are not that good. But, just being in the process of creating is something beautiful and something that’s so important for any creative to have and another outlet that’s second from the outlet that you already have. A lot of artists like to dabble in photography as well because it helps you become expressive in another medium that translates into the creativity that you’re able to bring to your medium.

HOW DOES YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WORK RELATE BACK TO YOU?

It’s a way for me to charge my growth. A lot of my stuff is also informed by my degree in Filmmaking which kind of taught us that this whole thing is a process. Everytime you make something, everytime you write something, everytime you shoot something, it should be a work in progress. It’s all just a work in progress and I think it’s the same thing with my photography. Bit by bit I’m trying to grow, I’m trying to educate myself and just trying to push myself. So I guess it relates to me in the sense that I’m always trying to grow through photography. It’s very necessary in my life in that way.

A SIGNIFICANT TIME FOR YOU AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.

Something that helped me more than anything. It was last year when Boiler Room came to SA and I got the opportunity to shoot at Boiler Room. I think the main change for me is I found a new superpower. I didn’t know that I could shoot such a huge event. It felt really impossible and far-fetched, especially Boiler Room which is something we grew up watching as young kids like the Kaytranada videos and all of those cool sets. It was cool that I managed to be a part of that. It helped me a lot in my development and when I find myself at a feel good series or at these big events, I can handle myself and I’m comfortable in my abilities.

YOU’VE SHOT MANY EVENT SPACES, WHERE YOU LOCK IN MOMENTS FROM NIGHTLIFE EVENTS TO FEEL GOOD SERIES. IS THIS THE SIDE OF YOUR WORK THAT ALLOWS FOR SOME PLAY?

For sure. I think being able to get into this different realm and spaces is growth in itself. I’m used to a certain environment, a certain group of people, I’m used to a certain group of friends. As a photographer you’re forced to get out of your shell and make friends and make sure people are comfortable in the space before you’re even thinking of capturing the moments.

ANYTHING THAT HAS YOUR EYE RIGHT NOW THAT YOU’RE EXPERIMENTING WITH?

It doesn’t really have to do with photography. I’m trying to flex my muscles in terms of film. I feel like that’s one avenue of my creativity that I haven’t been able to exercise. Right now I’m shooting a bunch of things at home and conceptualising. Hopefully I get to execute those ideas, share them with people and get some feedback. In terms of photography I wanna explore a bit more of the editorial side of things. I feel like you get to be a bit more creative with that and get to collaborate a bit more with other creatives as well.

As You Journey Through Your Many Mediums

OF EXPRESSION, WHAT DO YOU WISH TO PASS DOWN TO THE PEOPLE WHO VIEW YOUR WORK?

In the work that I’m trying to do going forward I’d really like to pass down the idea of hope. A lot of times in film and sometimes in photography we glamourise an excessive lifestyle of you need to be rocking the latest Jordan 1’s or you need to be chilling with this person etc. and If it’s not that you’re glamourising (especially in film) drug taking. I’m trying to pass down a more hopeful image. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly that is or how hope is transmitted. I think about my everyday life and the ways that I find hope is through family and just the resilience of my family and the outlook that I’ve grown up with is that a lot of the times things might seem pretty dark but as long as you have something to look forward to that’s the main thing. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, it’s not all supposed to be dark and it’s not all supposed to be this weird aspirational culture that we’ve kind of created. There’s an avenue and space for everybody.

WHAT ARE YOU MORE MINDFUL OF NOW ON YOUR JOURNEY THAN YOU WERE A FEW YEARS BACK?

How difficult it is the event space is and how difficult the politics of everything is. I guess I’ve got greater capacity for empathy now because I’ve seen behind the curtain. Sometimes people have falling outs or they get upset with certain things but I think the empathy on these streets are also lacking a bit and that’s something I’ve gotten a greater understanding of now. People are going through it and they’re also working really hard to cater to you as a photographer as well. ––