Humanitarian Photography Program in South Africa

This was my first trip abroad and my second trip I have done on my own. A big leap from a few hour flight from Colorado to Washington, DC to a total 30 hour trip with a 17hr flight in the mix from Colorado to the tip of South Africa; Cape Town. Roots Interns made the process before, during, and after the trip a smooth, comfortable, and a secure experience of traveling. With great preparation information beforehand, transportation once landed, amazing accommodation with beautiful people, and a brilliant teacher for our photography project gave me confidence and an immediate sense of safety, composure, and clarity. Once settled after a couple days, my team and I met Anna Lusty, who is the brilliant teacher I mentioned in the sentence above. She's an amazing humanitarian photographer who founded her business "Made In My Camera" and has worked with Roots Interns for quite some time. She got to know the team, took us out for some lunch, and worked with us closely for the first week of our stay. I learned so much about humanitarian photography and documentary styles of taking photos from her and once left to go out on our own for the remaining weeks, I felt comfortable with what I was doing. We got to work closely with amazing foundations and citizens of multiple town ships all over Cape Town. We met great people who had immense drive and will to help their communities and grow as people. We heard heart aching yet beautiful stories of overcoming struggle and hardship on the journey to helping their families and the people of their communities. What I heard, what I saw, what I experienced, and the work I did felt fulfilling. When we got home from our work days and on our days off, we had a comfortable place to work and reflect. Experiences like this open your mind and open your heart. It is inevitable and it will continue when you depart. The days off also provide a great time to explore on your own or with the friends you make during your stay. I got to see and learn so much. From bus tours, to hiking one of the seven wonders of the world, and to exploring the great city Cape Town. I even had time to join an amazing climbing gym (Bloc 11) on their monthly Rocklands Retreat to climb on some the best rocks in the world! Roots also made it easy for me to change my dates and time of getting picked up for the airport because I extended my trip. So, even after I was done with my volunteer work and no longer working with the program, I was still able to use their transportation services at the end of my stay. The duality of changing soil. I find this an important note to consider. I wanted to travel and do something out of my comfort zone. I wanted to grow. I wanted to see more of the world. I, in my personal world, wanted to do something that would help me change a little. Before hand I knew that changing soil doesn't make stubborn leaves grow. This trip and volunteer experience did help me grow and it did open up my mind and my heart. But when I extend my trip, I decided to go into town and get a hotel for my self. I was still able to meet ups with friends, go out on my own, go on a trip to Cederberg, and visit Robbin Island. But being on my own also brought me back into habits of laziness, of overthinking, and of wasting some time. And now, having been home for a month and a half, I have sunk even more into my personal struggles with drive and growth. So, don't go into this thinking it will and has to be "live changing" (It very well could be!) Just don't let it be too much of a downer if that's an expectation you hold and it doesn't seem to help as much as you wanted and/or as soon as you wanted. I still believe that it was and will be "life changing" for me to some degree, for this experience will stay and grow with me as I grow. It will always be a point of reflection integrated into my mind, heart, and soul. Roots Interns offers a professional, safe, and powerful learning experiences for their volunteers and interns. I strongly recommend it for anyone and everyone looking to grow their skills, their minds, and their hearts. It will stick with you and it will grow with you for years to come. Go meet great people, make new friends, do what you love, learn and grow.

The program was incredible. The first week was getting to know some of the organizations we would be photographing by meeting staff and learning of their history and mission. Week two and three we dove into the work and we’re busy everyday but had our weekends off to rest and recuperate. I learned a multitude of photography skills while photographing these environments.

It would be very easy to say the whole experience was life changing but that might appear to be a cliche. As is always the case, whenever I go to Africa as a volunteer, I come away firmly believing that the country and its people have given me far more than I was able to give back. The Humanitarian Photography Programme was superb, the arrangements, the placements and the opportunities to take photographs in difficult situations was amazing. Anna is a fantastic teacher, she offers constructive criticism in a positive but gentle way and is equally enthusiastic when you produce images that meet her rather demanding standards. I can't wait until the next opportunity.