Chinese smartphone brand TECNO has completed the Kenyan leg of 100 Portraits of Becoming, a global photography project designed to demonstrate how its latest camera technology renders diverse skin tones.
The project, created with Brazilian artist and photographer Angélica Dass, features 20 Kenyans photographed on the TECNO Camon 50 Ultra across different complexions, environments and everyday lighting conditions.
Kenya is the first stop in a two-year initiative that will produce 100 portraits across five countries, with the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Brazil to follow.
At the centre of the project is Universal Tone 3.0, the Camon 50’s multi-skin-tone imaging system. According to TECNO, the technology combines a multi-skin-tone colour reference system, skin-tone data and AI-powered imaging engines to render skin tone and texture more naturally across varied complexions, lighting conditions and group shots.
The company says the aim is not to apply a single beauty standard, but to preserve the colour, texture and features that make each person recognisable.
Rather than using controlled studio settings, the portraits were shot in real-world conditions, including strong daylight, shade, window-lit offices, mixed indoor lighting and group scenes. TECNO says this is intended to show how inclusive imaging performs in environments typical of everyday smartphone use in markets such as Kenya.
The move comes as smartphone makers targeting African and other emerging markets increasingly compete on camera performance for darker skin tones, an area where mainstream imaging systems have historically been criticised for poor representation.
Kenyan stories
Accompanying interviews profile the subjects’ personal and professional journeys, in line with the local campaign message, “Becoming Takes More Than You See.”
They include Mutua Alex Muli, co-founder of Goshen Farm, who uses digital platforms and export channels to connect small-scale farmers with markets.
“When everyone said leave, I stayed. I wanted to prove that there was something worth building here. Through farming and working with the community, I’ve found ways to turn what might have been wasted into income and opportunities for other people too,” says Muli.
Jelimo Cheboi, co-founder of GirlSkate Nairobi, which provides a supportive space for female skateboarders, is also featured.
“There was no place for us, so we created one. Skateboarding gave us a space to express ourselves, but I also wanted girls to feel that they belonged there; that they could show up, learn, fall, get back up and keep going together,” says Cheboi.
Other subjects include Anita Mbithe, founder of Brushes By Mbithee, Beauty and Hair, and Brian Muchiri, founder of Boy in The Wheelchair, whose portrait addresses disability, visibility and self-representation.
Dass, known internationally for photography exploring identity and diversity, provides the artistic direction for the series, while TECNO supplies the imaging technology.
TECNO, a subsidiary of Transsion Holdings, operates in more than 70 markets and offers smartphones, wearables, laptops, tablets, gaming devices and smart home products, alongside its HiOS operating system.
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