Michael Zewdie

Documenting the African & IMMIGRANT PERSPECTIVES in Australia

I'm Michael Shiferaw Zewdie, an Ethiopian-Australian photographer based in Sydney, documenting the African diaspora experience in Australia through honest, unscripted imagery.

My work is grounded in the belief that every moment — whether a quiet personal milestone or the pulse of a community gathering — holds a story worth preserving. Through ETEBT, an ongoing long-form portrait archive, I'm building a permanent visual record of diaspora life in this country: the intimacy, the resilience, the beauty of lives lived between cultures.

Inspired by the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, I find meaning in imperfection and the fleeting. My documentary approach ensures images feel authentic, never staged — capturing what is, not what should be.

I work with individuals, community organisations, NGOs, and brands who value genuine representation over performative imagery. While Sydney is home, my practice extends across Australia and I'm currently available for portraits, event documentation, brand storytelling, and long-term documentary partnerships.

You can also find me hosting AfrikaCOnnexion, a weekly radio show exploring African music and culture, and writing MikMik Musings, a newsletter on storytelling and the Global South. Or discover my first book, Mesiyasi.