From Seeing the Good to Telling Better Stories: What 90 Creators Learned at the Capture the Good Masterclass

Some of the most meaningful stories are already happening around us. They can be found in our schools, hospitals, businesses, homes and communities. They are stories of people making a difference, overcoming challenges and creating change in their everyday lives.

This is the idea behind Capture the Good, a national photography and videography challenge by Safaricom and the M-PESA Foundation. The campaign invited creators across Kenya to use their cameras and phones to document real stories of impact in their communities, across education, health, economic empowerment and environmental conservation.

The journey started with creators going out into communities to find and capture these stories. More than 6,000 creators answered the call, before a judging process narrowed the entries down to 90 regional winners — 45 photographers and 45 videographers from across the country.

But reaching the regional stage was not the end of the journey. It was the beginning of another important step: helping the creators sharpen their skills and find better ways to tell the stories they had been trusted to capture.

This brought the 90 regional winners together for the Capture the Good Masterclass, where they spent the day learning from experienced professionals across photography, film, mobile storytelling, AI, personal branding and professional development.

For vivo, the Masterclass was an opportunity to support these creators through the vivo ZEISS Photography Master Class, led by photographer, cinematographer and trainer Victor Nigel. With more than 16 years of experience in photography, cinematography and editing, Nigel brought a practical approach to helping the creators look at photography beyond simply taking a good picture.

One of the key messages from the session was simple: "Concept over Gear." Before thinking about the equipment, creators were encouraged to first think about the story they wanted to tell. What do they want people to see? What do they want them to feel? And what should the image say?

From there, the session explored the building blocks of a strong photograph, including light, composition, colour, perspective and the use of different shooting modes. The creators looked at how simple techniques such as the rule of thirds, leading lines and framing can help guide the viewer's attention, while light can change the mood and depth of an image.

The session also showed how mobile imaging tools can support the creative process. Through practical examples, creators explored features such as portrait effects, background blur, colour profiles and different shooting modes, using technology as part of their creative process rather than allowing it to replace their own ideas.

At the heart of the session was storytelling. A photograph is not only about how good it looks. It can capture a person, a feeling, a moment or an idea and help someone who was not there experience it. Nigel encouraged the creators to observe the world around them, look for meaningful moments and think about the message behind every image.

This connected naturally with the purpose of Capture the Good. The campaign is giving creators a platform to bring attention to stories of change that may otherwise go unseen. Through their own eyes and creative voices, they are helping more people see the people and communities behind that change.

For vivo, this is where the value of imaging goes beyond the device. Technology can give a creator more ways to capture a moment, but it is the creator who decides what is worth capturing and how the story should be told.

The Masterclass was therefore not simply about taking better photographs. It was about helping creators become more confident in how they see, create and share stories that matter.

The 90 regional winners have since progressed through the national judging stage, with 18 National Finalists selected for the next stage of the competition. The journey has now moved to public voting, giving audiences across Kenya an opportunity to discover the stories and support the finalists.

As Capture the Good moves towards its final stage, the stories continue to take centre stage. For vivo, its role as the campaign's mobile photography partner is about supporting the people behind those stories with imaging technology and knowledge that can help them capture the good around them and tell it in a way that connects with others.

Because the good is already there.

The next step is to see it, capture it and tell the story.