Finding the frame: Kevin Mackintosh on finding a photographic voice

As part of the Fashion_The Image programme, eight writers were selected to work with the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography, Wanted, and the African Fashion Research Institute to develop written responses that critically engage with the exhibition. As part of her research, writer Bella Makhubo interviewed Kevin Mackintosh, resulting in a thoughtful and insightful conversation with the industry expert. Her piece, Finding the Frame: Kevin Mackintosh on Craft, Identity, and the Future of Fashion Photography, has since been published by Wanted, with editorial support from Jennifer Krug.

Read more below!

More about Bella Makhubo:

Bella Makhubo is a Sowetan cultural practitioner, writer, photographer, and digital content curator whose work critically engages art, community, and socio political transformation. With a foundation in journalism from City Varsity School of Creative Arts and Media Studies, photography training from the Market Photo Workshop, and a digital marketing certification from Digify Africa, her interdisciplinary practice bridges visual storytelling, critical writing, and public discourse. 

Her work centres black communities, women, spirituality, and collective memory, examining how art operates beyond formal institutions and within lived realities. As a freelance photographer and storyteller, she produces portraiture, editorial, and conceptual series that challenge dominant narratives while foregrounding community agency and resilience. She was selected for the Ruth Motau Photo Mentorship Programme, an experience that deepened her understanding of photography as both artistic expression and socio-political documentation. 

Makhubo writes analytical and reflective pieces on community development, gender politics, cultural production, and social justice. Her writing situates art within broader systems of power, questioning who art institutions serve, who they exclude, and how they might function differently during moments of social crisis. Her digital platforms and blog serve as accessible spaces for dialogue, amplifying marginalised voices and fostering critical engagement. 

Her professional experience includes social media and communications work within the City of Johannesburg Municipality and Youth Content Collective, where she developed skills in strategic communication, audience engagement, and institutional messaging. This experience informs her critical interest in how institutions construct narratives and public legitimacy. 

Through her curatorial thinking and research, Makhubo explores alternative exhibition models rooted in oral tradition, township aesthetics, and community based knowledge systems. Her practice seeks to reimagine art institutions not as static authorities, but as responsive, accountable, and socially embedded spaces. 

The Experience:

My experience as a writer-in-residence at the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography was both transformative and deeply affirming of my voice as a storyteller. Immersed in a space that challenges conventional narratives, I was encouraged to interrogate memory, identity, and the complexities of visual culture through my writing. The residency sharpened my ability to translate imagery into compelling text, bridging the gap between visual art and language. Engaging with a diverse community of artists pushed me to think more critically and experiment boldly with form and perspective. It was a space of both introspection and collaboration, where I could refine my craft while contributing to meaningful cultural dialogue. Ultimately, the experience strengthened my confidence as a writer and expanded my understanding of storytelling as a powerful tool for reflection, disruption, and connection.