Photography students up their game

Thokoza-based social and artistic photography programme Of Soul and Joy (OSAJ) hosted Umhlabathi Women’s Month Critique Session (UWMCS) at Umhlabathi Gallery, located in Newtown, Johannesburg, on September 2.

UWMCS allows students to present their work publicly for a panel of female mentors to review and impart the knowledge necessary to help students realise what it takes to transform their work to a professional level.

Some of the students who took part were Teboho Mabuya, Zwelibanzi Zwane and Fuwe Molefe. They received feedback from the panel which included Tshepiso Mazibuko, Zanele Dhlamini and Tshepiso Mabula ka Ndongeni.

Mabuya presented a project titled Inkumbulo Umama Womthandazo. It focuses on the women who have made a vow to God, which was inspired by her grandmother and her prayers.

She said it was well received as mentors liked her portraits of ugogo and they mentioned that the lighting and composition were good.

“The critique was positive from the mentors as they had nothing to complain about. In their feedback, they said I must explore the story behind the garments more. They also advised that I play around more with colours, lighting, composition and choice of background,” said Mabuya.

Zwane said the event was both stunning and thought-provoking.

She said that her project spoke to how being bullied her entire life has led her to escape mentally, forcing her to construct fictional realities within.

“It helped me to cope with the harsh daily life challenges I endured. Today this fictional reality is part of my life, and it is stuck with me,” said Zwane.

She said she received constructive criticism as she was taught to spend more time with her images and understand them.

“I was advised to improve on how I communicate about the images when presenting,” said Zwane.

Another student, Molefe said the mentors were impressed as it was the first time she presented, and they saw the potential in the project with its unique approach.

“In my project, I focus on my identity as I feel that it is fused between two cultural heritages or roots as I am a Sesotho speaker who practices Sesotho culture, however, I was born in the middle of KwaZulu-Natal,” said Molefe.

She noted the feedback she received and although the project is about her and her identity, most of the photos she presented were of people in traditional attire during cultural events.

“I was advised that I should not only focus on capturing events but also add daily life, as those types of images can also have a huge impact in growing my project. The mentors also recommended I check my archives for more images that can visually translate to what I am trying to say.”

The three mentors were generally impressed by the photographs captured and presented by the students, however, noted that there is room for improvement.

Mazibuko said critique sessions are essential because photography in itself is subjective, but in a critique session you can get feedback from people who come from all walks of life. And in hindsight, it teaches students how to handle constructive criticism without them feeling attacked.

She said the challenges she picked up were minor things such as getting used to handling the camera and being able to talk about their work. But that alone is a skill that requires time and practice, she added.

Mabula ka Ndongeni cited that the students showed some amazing potential and have worked hard to think through their projects and create compelling images.

“The group of young and new students impressed me. Their enthusiasm stole my heart and I look forward to watching them grow into world-class photographers,” said Mabula ka Ndongeni.

She expressed that the sessions are important because any work that has the ability to implicate and affect people needs to be thoroughly reviewed and honestly critiqued.

“I think critique sessions help us, as photographers, to hold ourselves accountable for our work while also recognising our strengths and blind spots,” she continued.

“Compelling work needs to be properly analysed to ensure that it stays true to itself, and through critique sessions, one is able to gauge how far they can push and how far they can pull back to make sure that their work does not inflict violence on its subject matter.”

Her advice to students is to just start, go out, capture photographs and allow the story to guide you.

“You will not know what you can and cannot do until you start. Embrace the mistakes and learn from them, and while you are a novice, learn all the rules and then learn how to break them so you can break boundaries,” she said.

Dhlamini said sessions offer students a different view. He explained that sometimes as artists they become very dedicated to one way of creating and their way may not effectively communicate or narrate the story we are building, therefore, a different perspective is critical.

She said the challenge that stood out for her was the descriptions of their artist statements. Adding that students need to read more and be exposed to different styles of writing and maybe find something that speaks to them.

While advising students, Dhlamini shared that the industry is very competitive so it’s very important for the students to think outside the box, explore their creativity and stand out.