About
As a photographer, trainer, and cultural mediator, I design participatory projects exploring migration, inclusion, and how we live together. In collaboration with public institutions, associations, and the people directly concerned, I use photography, workshops, and exhibitions to bring forward stories rooted in lived experience. My work creates spaces for dialogue and makes complex social realities accessible without speaking on behalf of those who live them.
My international documentary experience now informs participatory projects developed primarily in Switzerland, close to the people involved and their local realities.
Who I am
I’m Reto Steffen. Based in Switzerland, I work as a photographer, trainer, and cultural mediator. My skills in filmmaking, storytelling, and digital tools complement this practice.
My documentary experience in Cambodia, Nepal, Laos, and other international settings has shaped an approach centred on people, their stories, and the realities on the ground.
I speak fluent German, French, and English, and understand some Italian, Spanish, and Russian.
My documentary field experience
- Switzerland
- Nepal
- India
- Cambodia
- Laos
- The Philippines
- South Africa
- Ethiopia
The Why and the How
It is a global world, yet we know so little about the people living in it.
For example, how do the farmers in Laos live and cultivate the coffee that we drink every day, or how does gardening help bring migrants and locals closer together in Switzerland?
I love exploring social and development issues by working together with NGOs and academics to put a face on complex issues and help bring them closer to an audience. Talk to me about your work, and let me help you communicate it beautifully and effectively.
I build each project with the people and partners involved, from defining the subject to workshops, image selection, and public presentation.
Explore my website
Explore the website to see my assignments or my film and photography work. Check this page if you are looking to know more about me as a French fiction writer
Some of my work on the internet
I did a Multimedia story for Fastenopfer about the Rural Women's Assembly from South Africa with my pictures, audio, and video. It's now online in German
The Center for Development and Environment from the University of Bern used one of my pictures from Laos in their 2017 Annual report (pages 6-7)
A story about my trip to South Africa and meeting the women of the Rural Women's Assembly has been published on a new platform, "Creatives for Conservation" as "Seeds of Hope: Rural Women's Assembly".
Another story about the Rural Women's Assembly and the importance of seed independence was published in the "Human Affairs" magazine as "The Rural Women's Association - Seed independence for South African farmers"