Field Content Collection: Photography & Videography – Ethiopia

BACKGROUND & CONTEXT 

Inkomoko’s communications and digital media work is grounded in authentic visual storytelling. Across our five country offices, our clients (entrepreneurs running thriving businesses in displacement-affected markets) represent some of the most compelling stories of resilience and economic agency on the continent. Bringing these stories to life visually is central to how we communicate our impact to donors, partners, board members, government stakeholders, and the public. These assets will support Inkomoko’s campaigns, donor communications, reports, website content, social media, newsletters, board materials, and organizational videos

As Inkomoko grows and our client base continues to expand, so does the need for fresh, diverse visual content that reflects the diverse range of client businesses and program activities across the specified locations in South Sudan. To keep pace with this growth and ensure our communications remain vibrant and representative, Inkomoko is commissioning a coordinated, multi-country field content collection exercise in August 2026.

Through this assignment, a team of photographers and videographers will be deployed to three program locations in South Sudan to produce a high-quality library of photographic and video assets. The visual library should accurately reflect Inkomoko’s programs, entrepreneurs, and impact, and support communications, fundraising, advocacy, and media engagement over the following 12 months.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The primary objectives of this field content exercise are:

• To build a refreshed, high-quality content bank of photographs and b-roll footage primarily featuring Inkomoko clients, with additional coverage of client-staff interactions during field visits and program activities such as training, across the two country offices.
• To capture the lived realities of entrepreneurs in displacement-affected markets in a dignified, action-oriented, and authentic manner.
• To document the diversity of client businesses – from retail trade and food production to services and manufacturing – across different geographic and cultural contexts.
• To produce a defined set of edited images, usable b-roll, short video selects, and content logs for future communications use across multiple platforms and formats, including reports, social media, newsletters, donor materials, and organizational videos, for a duration of at least 12 months.
• To ensure consistent visual quality and brand alignment across all five countries.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected service provider should be a qualified creative production firm or agency capable of assembling, managing, and supervising a team of experienced photographers, videographers, and editors. The provider will be responsible for coordinating field production across three program locations in South Sudan, ensuring consistent visual quality, compliance, timely delivery, and alignment with Inkomoko’s communications objectives.

The service provider will work closely with Inkomoko’s Communications team and country teams to plan and deliver the assignment, including pre-production coordination, field content collection, post-production, file organization, and final delivery of approved photography and video assets.

a) Photography

The photojournalist will be required to:

• Capture dignified, action-oriented portraits of Inkomoko clients at their places of business, in both portrait and landscape orientations, with some images framed with negative space for design use.
• Document client business activities in progress, including:
• Transactions and customer interactions
• Production of goods and product displays (e.g., cooking, crafts, tailoring, fabrication)
• Trade activities (markets, stalls, wholesale/retail)
• Service DELIVERY (e.g., salons, repair shops, transport, health services)
• Creative arts and cultural enterprises (e.g., music, performance, visual arts)
• Food and hospitality businesses (e.g., restaurants, catering, food stalls, bakeries)
• Agricultural and livestock activities where relevant
• Training, business development sessions, and interactions with Inkomoko staff
• Innovative and technology-driven solutions use
• Capture a balanced mix of wide shots, medium shots, close-ups, detail shots, portraits, action shots, and environmental images across indoor, outdoor, rural, and urban settings, as well as individual and group settings.
• Capture contextual and environmental images showing business surroundings, markets, streetscapes, signage, workspaces, program locations, and community settings.
• Work with Inkomoko staff to confirm informed consent before photographing any subject in line with Inkomoko’s safeguarding and consent guidelines. No images should be captured or submitted where consent is unclear, restricted, or withdrawn.
• Provide organized, clearly labeled folders (including client name, business type, location, country, and date) containing high-resolution images, edited final selects, and web-ready exports.

b) Videography

The videographer will be required to:

• Capture usable, steady, well-composed b-roll footage across a range of settings, with a balanced mix of wide, medium, close-up, detail, action, transition, and environmental shots, including:
• Client businesses in operation – products being made, packaged, and ongoing trade
• Business environments, storefronts, market scenes, and agricultural settings
• Client-staff interactions during field visits, training sessions, and program activities
• Clients engaging with customers, suppliers, or community members
• Atmospheric and contextual footage of program locations and surrounding communities
• Shoot footage suitable for future editing into organizational videos, donor presentations, website, social media content (vertical orientation), campaign videos, and documentary-style stories.
• Plan and capture footage with multiple outputs in mind, including horizontal 16:9, vertical 9:16, and square 1:1 formats where possible..
• Record clean ambient audio and natural sound where relevant. Where requested in the brief, capture short client or staff soundbites with clear audio.
• Submit all raw footage organized by country, date, location, client or business type where applicable, and scene type, alongside selected edited sequences and a basic footage log.
• Work with Inkomoko staff on the ground to obtain fully informed consent from all subjects filmed.

c) Coordination & Field Requirements

• Attend an in-person/ virtual pre-shoot briefing with the Comms team and the respective country teams before deployment.
• Follow the approved country brief, shot list, production schedule, consent process, and file naming guidance provided by Inkomoko for each location shoot.
• Work alongside the country-level Inkomoko team for client access, introductions, and consent facilitation.
• Adhere to Inkomoko’s safeguarding, data protection, and dignity-centered storytelling policies throughout the assignment.
• Submit a daily progress summary to the Digital Media Manager during the shoot period.

Logistics support: Inkomoko will cover transport and accommodation for shoots conducted in field locations outside the vendor’s base. Vendors are expected to make their own way to the primary country office location. Further logistics details will be confirmed by the country teams ahead of deployment.

CONTENT QUALITY AND HANDOVER STANDARDS

Vendors must submit content that is usable for communications, design, digital, and archive purposes. All files must be clear, properly exposed, in focus, and organized according to Inkomoko’s agreed-upon file-naming structure.

Photography should include a balanced mix of portraits, action shots, details, environmental images, staff-client interaction, and design-friendly images with negative space.

Video footage should be steady, well-composed, properly exposed, and long enough for editing. Vendors should capture a mix of wide, medium, close-up, detail, transition, and environmental shots.

All final submissions must include a content log linking files to country, location, date, client or business type where approved, consent status, and any usage restrictions.

COUNTRY OFFICES & PROGRAMME SITES

The assignment will be carried out in phases across the selected program locations in South Sudan during July 2026, with the final schedule to be agreed with Inkomoko and the country teams. Photojournalists and videographers will be engaged in the country, each responsible for covering program sites in the respective locations.

Country: Ethiopia

Key locations: Addis Ababa, Jijiga (Kebribeya), Assosa (Bambasi & Sherkole camps)

Specific program sites and client visit schedules within the country will be confirmed by the respective country team ahead of the shoot.

DELIVERABLES

Photography Deliverables

• Minimum 100 edited, high-resolution final photographs per country, and at least 30 edited final photographs per confirmed location, subject to the final shoot plan.
• Web-optimized versions of all final selects (JPEG, 1500px long edge, 72 DPI).
• Full-resolution original image files for all final selects, submitted for archive. RAW files for all final selects (where available) submitted for archiving.
• A photo content log must accompany final selects, including file name, country, location, date, client or business type where approved, short description, consent status, and any usage restrictions (naming convention to be agreed with Inkomoko).

Videography Deliverables

• Minimum 30 minutes of usable, steady, well-composed raw b-roll footage per confirmed location, organized by scene type.
• Each location should include a balanced mix of wide, medium, close-up, detail, action, transition, and environmental clips.
• Short edited b-roll package per country (3–5 minutes of best footage, color-graded and audio-cleaned).
• Final edited video exports should be submitted in H.264/MP4 at a minimum resolution of 1080p. Raw footage should be submitted in the original camera format where possible. 4K capture is preferred where equipment allows.
• Social media cutdowns: 2 to 3 short clips per country in 9:16 and/or 1:1 format, 15 to 60 seconds each; 3 long-format clips (max 15min) per country, where included in the final country brief.
• Organized raw footage folders with clear file naming by country, date, and scene.

Administrative Deliverables

• Completed and signed consent forms for all subjects photographed or filmed, matched to the relevant image or footage files in the content log (template to be provided by Inkomoko).
• Post-shoot summary report per country, including locations covered, clients or business types captured, content highlights, missing shots, challenges, consent issues, and recommendations for future use
• Post-shoot summary report per country (brief narrative of what was captured, any access challenges, and recommendations).

Overall Timeline

• Raw photographs and footage submitted to Inkomoko within 5 working days after completion of the countrywide shoot.
• Edited photography selects are submitted within 10 working days of the shoot.
• Edited video packages submitted within 15 working days of the shoot.
• All deliverables from the country field content collection are to be finalized within 15 working days after the assignment.

Reporting & Supervision

Vendors will report directly to:

• Country Coordinator / Program Staff (field access, logistics, client introductions)
• Digital Media Manager (day-to-day direction, briefs, and feedback)

Overall supervision: Communications department

Progress will be monitored through:

• Pre-shoot briefing call (virtual, required for all vendors)
• Daily field progress updates via WhatsApp or email
• Draft submission review at agreed milestones
• Final output review against the approved brief and shot list

Required Qualifications & Experience

All vendors must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Demonstrated experience managing teams in field photography, videography, multimedia journalism, documentary production, or visual storytelling for multi-location field assignments;
• Proven capacity to provide both photography and videography services, including post-production and file management;
• Portfolio demonstrating dignified, authentic visual storytelling in community, development, humanitarian, or displacement-affected settings;
• Ability to coordinate field logistics, supervise creative teams, and deliver quality outputs within agreed timelines.
• Experience working in South Sudan or any other East and Central African country
• Proficiency in professional photo editing software (e.g., Lightroom, Capture One) and/or video editing software (e.g. Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve).
• Access to professional production equipment suitable for field conditions.
• Ability to work in culturally sensitive environments and apply ethical, consent-based approaches to community storytelling.
• Fluency or working knowledge of relevant local languages is an asset.
• Experience working with NGOs, social enterprises, or development organizations is an advantage.
• Ability to work independently, manage field logistics, and deliver on tight timelines.

Evaluation Criteria

The proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:

• Portfolio Quality and Relevance (30%)
  The bidder shall demonstrate the quality and diversity of previous photography and videography assignments, with particular emphasis on authentic, dignified, and human-centered storytelling. Experience producing visual content for humanitarian, development, or community-based organizations will be an added advantage.

• Technical Approach and Workflow (25%)
  The evaluation will assess the proposed production methodology, including the suitability of equipment, photography and videography techniques, editing standards, quality assurance processes, file management and delivery systems, and the ability to produce high-quality outputs under challenging field conditions.

• Field Experience and Capacity (20%)
  The bidder shall demonstrate relevant experience undertaking photography and videography assignments in community, rural, refugee, or displacement-affected settings. Consideration will also be given to the bidder’s capacity to independently manage field logistics, travel, scheduling, and timely delivery of assignments.

• Ethical Storytelling and Consent (15%)
  The proposal should demonstrate a clear understanding of ethical and dignity-centered storytelling, including informed consent procedures, safeguarding principles, respectful representation of vulnerable populations, confidentiality, and adherence to brand and communication guidelines.

• Value for Money and References (10%)
  The evaluation will consider the competitiveness and transparency of the proposed pricing, including daily rates, travel costs, and any other associated charges. The bidder’s reliability, previous performance, and quality of client references will also be assessed.

Payment Terms

Inkomoko will make payment in two installments as follows:

• 20% upon signing of the contract and approval of the production schedule and shot list.
• 20% upon completion of the field shoot and submission of raw content, consent forms, and initial content log.
• 60% upon final delivery and acceptance of all agreed edited deliverables to the satisfaction of the Communications team.

Payment will be processed in the local currency of the respective country office within 30 working days of invoice submission. Vendors are responsible for declaring and managing their own tax obligations in line with the laws of their country of operation.

All invoices should be submitted to  with the relevant purchase order number provided at contract signing.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested vendors should submit the following:

• Company or individual profile (maximum 2 pages).
• CV or profile of the photographer and videographer who will conduct the assignment.
• Portfolio of relevant work (links to previous photography or b-roll projects, preferably in field or community settings).
• Clear indication of the country applied for (vendors can apply outside their country of residence?).
• Technical proposal outlining your approach to the assignment, including:

• Equipment list
• Editing workflow and software used
• File delivery method and folder structure
• Approach to working with communities, obtaining informed consent, and handling sensitive content with dignity
• Proposed content log format including file naming and folder structure.
• Backup and file transfer plan.
• Approach to capturing both horizontal and vertical assets.

• Proposed shoot schedule and logistics plan for the applicable country.
• Financial proposal including:
  • Daily shoot rate (photography and videography, including personnel)
  • Editing and post-production rate
  • Travel and logistics costs (where applicable)
  • Any additional costs (e.g., equipment hire, local assistants)
• At least two client references with contact details.

Please note: Shortlisted vendors will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before receiving detailed program information, client contacts, and shoot location details. All content produced under this assignment, including raw footage, photographs, and edited outputs, remains the sole intellectual property of Inkomoko. Vendors may not use, reproduce, publish, or share any content captured during this assignment without prior written consent from Inkomoko.

Submission deadline and queries 

Submission Email:  procurement.regional@inkomoko.com

Email Subject Line: “Proposal Submission- Field Content Collection- [Country] – [Vendor Name].”

Submission Deadline: 28th July 2026 at 5:00 PM (EAT)

Deadline for Queries: 24th July 2026