Women behind the lens: ‘I’ve photographed more than 2,000 people in my mobile studio’

‘I use a black and white carpet for the background, and people can dress up and wear jewellery and traditional fabrics.’ Photograph: Fatoumata Diabaté

I took this photo of Lia Samantha, an Afro-Colombian fashion designer, outside the National Museum of Colombia in Bogota in 2021. It is one of thousands of portraits I’ve taken in my mobile photo studio that goes all around the world.

My idea for the studio was inspired by the images and work of west African photographers such as Malick Sidibé, Seydou Keïta and Youssouf Sogodogo. I wanted to pay homage to those artists, as well as breathe life into the concept of mobile studios and portrait photography, which were so popular in Africa in the 50s and 60s.