Voices of Survival: Love Thy Neighbour Campaign


Storytelling portraits for Voices of Survival

I recently had the privilege of photographing a powerful portrait series for Voices of Survival as part of their Love Thy Neighbour campaign, photographed at Desk and Studio in Sydney.

Voices of Survival is the first Australian organisation bringing together survivors of war, genocide and natural disasters to share their stories of faith, hope and survival. Their work gives survivors a platform to speak about their experiences and connects their stories with audiences, particularly through schools and community events.

For this campaign, I photographed survivors whose stories span some of the darkest moments in recent history, including the Holocaust, the Cambodian genocide and the Rwandan genocide.

Portraits that carry a story

The brief was about much more than creating professional portraits. These images needed to hold something of each person's story — their strength, vulnerability, resilience and humanity.

Working in the studio allowed us to strip everything back and create portraits that felt honest and considered. Rather than heavily directed or overly polished images, I wanted the photographs to feel intimate and human, allowing the personality and presence of each survivor to come through.

There is something incredibly powerful about sitting across from someone who has lived through experiences that are almost impossible to comprehend, and then being trusted to photograph them.

I’m incredibly grateful to each of the survivors for their openness and vulnerability, and for allowing me to help tell their stories through portraiture.

Photography for campaigns with purpose

The Love Thy Neighbour campaign images will be used across Voices of Survival's communications and marketing, as well as supporting their wider storytelling and exhibition work.

The survivors travel to schools and communities to share their experiences, helping younger generations understand the human stories behind history and encouraging conversations around empathy, tolerance and compassion.

For me, this is where campaign photography becomes particularly meaningful — creating imagery that doesn't simply represent an organisation, but helps communicate why its work matters.

I can't wait to see how these portraits continue to evolve as part of the Love Thy Neighbour campaign and, eventually, in exhibition.

Campaign, portrait + storytelling photography

I photograph campaigns for organisations, creative businesses and people who have a story to tell — from studio portraits and brand campaigns to documentary-inspired imagery and environmental storytelling.

My approach is natural, creative and collaborative, creating photographs that feel genuine while giving a campaign a strong visual identity.

Voices of Survival — Love Thy Neighbour

Photography: Martine Payne Photography

Location: Desk and Studio, Sydney


View Non for Profit Campaign Photography

Photographer taking photos of a woman sitting on a stool in a professional photography studio with lighting equipment.
Photographers and crew work in a bright white photography studio with lighting equipment and a subject seated on a stool.
Photographer taking pictures of a model sitting on a chair in a bright studio setting.
A woman in a black dress and patterned shawl sits on a stool against a gray background.
Two women of different ages sit on stools laughing together, one in colorful dress, one in striped top.
Woman in traditional red plaid Maasai shuka dress with turquoise beaded jewelry poses against gray background.
Two women sitting on stools laughing together, one in colorful African print dress, one in striped top, against gray background.
Two women in vibrant African print outfits pose in a studio, one standing and one seated on a stool.
Asian man with long black hair in patterned red shirt poses thoughtfully against gray background.
Woman in colorful African print crop top and skirt with braided hair sits confidently against gray background.
Blurred motion photo of a person in a vibrant red dress walking against a dark gray background.
Young Asian man with long hair sits on a stool wearing a red patterned shirt and black pants against gray backdrop.
Blurred motion portrait of a long-haired Asian man in a red patterned shirt posing against a gray wall.
Profile portrait of a young Asian man with long black hair wearing a patterned red shirt against a gray background.
Three people posing together in a studio, woman in colorful African dress seated between two standing men smiling.
A Black woman with braids wears a gray tank top and a red plaid shuka draped over her shoulder, looking sideways.
Three women posing together, two in colorful African print dresses flanking an elderly woman seated on a stool.
Blurred motion portrait of a person with long dark hair wearing a red textured shirt against a gray wall.
Two women in vibrant African print dresses pose together in a studio, one standing and one seated on a stool.
Black and white blurred portrait of a person with long hair in a textured shirt gazing upward dramatically.
Young Asian man with long black hair wearing a patterned red shirt, seated against a gray background.
Elderly woman sitting on a stool wearing a striped scarf and dark pants, posing for a portrait against a gray background.
Black and white portrait of a thoughtful elderly man resting his chin on his hand with arms crossed.
A young Black man in a green blazer and white shirt sits confidently, wearing a watch, against a gray background.
Blurred black and white portrait of a person in a knit sweater with belt, creating an eerie motion effect.
A man in a green blazer and black pants sits on a stool against a gray background.
Elderly woman with short blonde hair wearing a striped scarf and patterned sweater, seated and smiling against a gray background.
Elderly man with gray hair smiling, arms crossed, wearing a blue plaid shirt and watch against a gray background.
Middle-aged Asian man in black suit sitting on stool against gray background in professional portrait photo.
Young Asian man with long black hair wearing a patterned red shirt, posing against a gray background.
A young man with long hair and a woman in colorful African print dress pose together in a studio portrait.
Woman in colorful African print dress seated on stool against gray background.
Two elderly people sitting on stools smiling in a studio portrait against a gray background.
Elderly woman sitting on a stool wearing black pants and a striped scarf against a gray background.
Elderly man in plaid shirt and black pants sitting on a stool against a gray studio background.
Middle-aged Asian man in black blazer and white shirt seated confidently against a gray studio background.
A woman in black outfit with white geometric patterned shawl and silver jewelry poses against gray background.
Young Black man in green blazer and white t-shirt poses against gray background in professional headshot.
Young woman in white African patterned two-piece outfit seated on stool.
Elderly man in blue plaid short-sleeve shirt sitting against gray background, wearing a watch, looking at camera.
Black and white double exposure portrait of an Asian man with long hair, creating a surreal multi-face effect.
Elderly woman with short blonde hair wearing a striped scarf and patterned top, seated against a gray background.
African woman in colorful traditional print top with braided hair and banana earrings, looking sideways against gray background.
African woman in colorful traditional outfit holding a beaded decorative basket against a gray background.
A dignified woman in vibrant red plaid and African print dress with turquoise rings poses against gray background.
African woman with colorful nails holding a decorative beaded vase with fringe, wearing traditional patterned clothing.
A Maasai man wearing traditional red plaid shuka drape stands barefoot against a gray background.
Man in green blazer and white shirt sits against gray background, looking at camera with a watch on his wrist.
Woman in black dress with colorful scarf sits on stool against gray background in studio portrait.
Black and white portrait of a man in floral shirt with arms crossed against gray background.
Woman with braided hair adorned with colorful clips wearing African print crop top.
Woman in colorful African print dress seated on white stool against gray studio background.
Young man with long black hair holding an ornate wooden carved panel, wearing a batik shirt against gray background.
Two women of different generations sit together on stools, smiling, against a gray studio background.