Cape Town Revealed: Photographers Exposing the City’s Hidden Realities

When you think of Cape Town, what images come to mind? Maybe it’s Table Mountain towering over the city, the penguins waddling along the shore, or the pristine beaches that frame this coastal paradise.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most photogenic cities, Cape Town has earned the title of top tourist destination in the world for seven consecutive years, according to the Telegraph Travel Awards.

However, beyond the glossy postcards and perfect Instagram shots, there lies a more complex story, set in a city within one of the world’s most unequal countries.

In this feature, we meet two photographers who are capturing the raw, unfiltered side of Cape Town, uncovering the gritty truths that often go unseen.

Ismaiel Isaacs: Portrait Photographer from Cape Flats

Ismaiel Isaacs, 31, hails from Manenberg, a sprawling neighborhood on the outskirts of Cape Town’s city center. The area was historically established in the early 1950s under apartheid, when people of color were forcibly relocated here, earning the grim moniker of 'apartheid’s dumping ground.'

Today, the Cape Flats is home to over a million residents, the majority of whom have mixed racial backgrounds.

Even though South Africa has been democratic for 26 years, the Cape Flats remains a deeply marginalized area, economically and socially disconnected from Cape Town's city center and wealthier suburbs.

Isaacs shares with Dinogo that life in the Cape Flats is a constant struggle, where residents daily face gang violence, poverty, and the ever-present threat of death due to ongoing drug wars.

Despite its challenges, the Cape Flats is also a hub of resilience, unity, and culture – qualities that Isaacs finds inspiring in his work.

Isaacs explains, 'I aim to show the beauty within the struggle. It’s not just the hardships we face that make us stronger, but the people themselves – they are beautiful.'

His photography is largely centered on portraits of local residents, with an emphasis on authenticity, rawness, and emotion in his visual storytelling.

Isaacs believes his photography tells a story of Cape Town that goes beyond its iconic mountains and beaches, highlighting the neglected, raw side of the city. He feels it's essential to acknowledge this reality, especially in the Cape Flats, where the community needs support.

Isaacs adds that his photography serves as a way to empower and uplift those he captures in his lens.

'I try to transform negativity into something positive,' says Isaacs. 'The moment I approach someone with my camera and ask to take their picture, their reaction is almost always a smile.'

'In that fleeting moment, when they smile, I feel fulfilled,' he adds.

Barry Christianson, documentary photographer

Barry Christianson, 38, grew up experiencing two distinct worlds. During the week, he lived with his mother in the Cape Flats, and on weekends, he spent time with his father in the more affluent suburbs of Cape Town.

'Cape Town is a city divided – as beautiful as it is fractured,' says Christianson. 'The city is made up of multiple worlds, some for the privileged, and others for those who struggle.'

Social and geographical divides have shaped Christianson's perception of his city from a young age. After 16 years working as a computer programmer, he decided to turn his passion for photography into a full-time career.

'From colonial rule to apartheid and finally to democracy, people of color have been stripped of their land, livelihoods, and freedom of movement,' explains Christianson.

'Growing up navigating these two contrasting worlds made me deeply aware of the spaces I occupied,' he continues. 'Much of my photography explores how spaces are formed, who inhabits them, who defines them, and what happens when different people come into these spaces.'

Christianson took Dinogo on a tour of some of the locations he has captured, including Saunders' Rocks, a once Whites-only beach. Today, he sees it as one of the most racially integrated beaches in Cape Town.

One of his most memorable shots was taken at Saunders' Rocks, showing a Muslim woman in a burkini – an image, he believes, you might not encounter in other parts of the city.

Much of his work also highlights the struggles of those affected by recent evictions, particularly in areas undergoing inner-city gentrification.

'As property developers continue to buy and sell prime real estate in Cape Town’s city center, black and mixed-race South Africans who managed to remain there throughout apartheid are being displaced and forced into substandard housing on the outskirts,' says Christianson.

'Cape Town is a city that constantly shifts people around,' he adds, 'a very specific group of people who are never truly allowed to settle in one place for good.'

The enduring impact of forced removals continues to be a sensitive and painful issue in South Africa, one that has disproportionately affected non-white communities.

Christianson often pairs his photographic work with written essays, positioning him as one of the few documentary photographers dedicated to shedding light on these untold stories and the individuals behind them.

'Although my focus is on photographing space,' he explains, 'I aim to reveal personal stories, histories, and the way people connect with Cape Town.'