A ruined building, five Ghanaians and an elegant horse: the best photo of Ron Temin | Photography

TIt was taken in Labadee, a popular tourist resort in Accra, the capital of Ghana. You don’t see this side of him often. People go there to enjoy the golden sands and nightlife, but they don’t really integrate with the community that lives there. I wanted to show how they fish – in traditional canoes – how they rest, how they play.

I love how this door looks in front of the ruined farm building. It represents the freedom of not being restricted by walls. And I love the Ghanaian flag on the side, which is a nod to place and heritage. I just thought it was a beautiful set. The community keeps a few horses in stables, which they use to carry equipment. The one in the picture brings it all together and adds elegance, because it is a majestic and beautiful animal. The way Africans are often depicted in documentary photography is not like that.

I wanted to photograph them in a collaborative way, so that it’s not just me going there and observing, but they are presenting themselves as they want to be seen. The kids were excited to see the lights and equipment, and even helped with the setup. We tried a few poses, but I think this one really works. They look proud and comfortable in their element.

The community is centered on fishing. They are all very fit and I was attracted to the way they take care of each other and the pride they feel in where they belong. I’ve noticed, especially with younger kids, that they really look up to their teens and want to make their parents proud. In contrast, I live in London and don’t even know my neighbours.

I worked in a hybrid way, taking two types of images. I love photographing people in their own space. It’s beautiful to celebrate where they’re from, what their home is and what it means. I also took a mobile studio to take some photos except the environment. I visited five communities for this project and did so in each place.

The project started when I was approached by a charity called My Runway Group. They do cultural exchange programmes, and they arranged for me to go to Accra and document that, with some culture exchange between the UK and Ghana, because obviously there are a lot of connections there.

It was my first time in the country, and although my family heritage is Sierra Leonean and Nigerian, I have family living in Accra. It was good to finally go there and experience another part of West Africa. I will be holding an exhibition in London of photographs from all societies. I promised them that we would sell some prints and that part of the money would help fund things they wanted to build, like an art center. I would love to come back and follow up.

Ron Temin has been shortlisted for the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards. The accompanying exhibition runs at Somerset House, London, from 17 April to 4 May. Guardian readers can use code GUARDIAN15 (valid until 4 May, 5pm) to get 15% off tickets to the exhibition. Taemin’s exhibition will be held at Noho Gallery in London from June 18-21.