We need a minimum of 2 participants on this project so please do encourage your photography friends and course mates to get involved too.
Photography in South Africa
As in most countries, photography is only accessible by those that have money so you will find in bustling cities, like Cape Town and Johannesburg, that professional photographers are in good supply and are making a good living from it. However, for the majority of South Africans, in particular, those living in the disadvantaged and township areas, photography opportunities don’t exist at all. This is why our photography project provides a great platform for children and young adults to be trained in this discipline, teaching them the right skills to one day seek their own profession careers in photography.
Your Photography Volunteer Placement in South Africa
During your photography project you will assist a team of professionals, who have developed a curriculum to take photography into the disadvantaged areas to train and teach children and young adults the skills required. Starting off with the basics of handling a camera, understanding exposure and composition, the curriculum aims to give young South Africans the raw materials to feel confident in using equipment that they are unfamiliar with. Photography can sometimes be a technically complicated subject to get your head around, so your purpose is to make it fun and simple to understand, giving the children a passion to continue learning and taking this creative skill further.
Your Photography Role in South Africa
Depending on what phase of the project you enter, your role will be either teaching young people the absolute basics of photography through to more advanced and technical support for those that have progressed further in their training. You will be there to encourage creativity, remembering the important message when teaching kids photography for the first time is not to ‘kill’ some of the playfulness that can make a child’s images so special. Experiment and have fun, setting briefs to allow these young photographers to explore their own stories and ways of capturing historic moments in and around the communities where they live. Teach them how to shoot from different perspectives – up high, down low, getting in close to their subject – stepping back for a wider angle shot, moving around the subject to shoot from different sides and experimenting with different settings (teaching them about different exposure modes). Your timing may also involve public exhibitions, putting on events and showing off your photography students work, helping communicate that these young people have the skills to be given photographic work in their own local community, thus providing jobs to those that otherwise would not be given the chance.
Taking Your Own Photography Further
(Great For College and Degree Level Photography Students)
Your trip would not be complete without exploring and developing your own photography portfolio further. By working through us, we can provide you with unique access to communities, people and life stories that a typical tourist would not have. If you are working towards a photography degree exhibition then find an interesting subject you want to explore and we’ll make the efforts to help you meet the right people. After the awful years of Apetheid in South Africa you will soon see the effects this has had on many South African lives, which might become the backdrop for an interesting project. South Africa is also rich in wildlife and stunning landscapes so you time would not be complete by visiting local game reserves and travelling this awesome country.
CRB/DBS (Criminal Records Bureau) Check
It is advised that participants complete a CRB/DBS (Criminal Records Bureau) check in order to take part in this project. We can provide this service for you at an additional cost because some people may already have one that is valid (please get in touch for more details).
Gap Year, Career Breaks or Student Photography Trips in South Africa
Our photography trip to South Africa to teach kids photography is the perfect trip to fit into a gap year, student summer holiday or career break. We need people that are wanting to do something a little different (whether an amateur photographer or professional) whilst having the perfect platform to explore their own photographic interest in a great and exciting country. This trip will see you give something back, empower lives whilst giving you unforgettable memories, close friendships and an experience of a lifetime.
