By Khaya Ndaba
A gap in the photography industry has turned three photographers into trailblazers who have changed many lives.
Nathi Khumalo from Rooderport West, Siphesihle Mkhwanazi from Vrededorp Johannesburg and Sipho Gongxeka from Phiri Soweto — all in their early thirties — founded the F-stop photography club.
The trio noticed that there was a lack of institutions which guide postgraduate photography students and practitioners to the next level of their careers.
The three photography lovers use their knowledge, real-world experience and entrepreneurial know-how of operating in the digital and commercial space to give back to the photographic community.
Gongxeka came up with the concept to commercialise photographers’ work after working as a Projects Coordinator at the Market Photo Workshop. He had spotted a gap in the market and realised that the institution did not cater for their postgraduate students.
The aim was to boost photographers who had graduated in the field.
He then approached Khumalo with the idea of creating a space in the Photo Workshop for their Alumni to learn about commercialising their work. Together with Mkhwanazi, the three approached the institution with their idea.
At first, the organisation was reluctant to adopt the plan, due to a lack of organisational capacity to run it. But the three persevered and registered a company, then continued to run with the idea and conduct workshops for photographers.
They focused on educating the students about the lived experience of professional and successful photographers who made them aware of the actual job market.
“Photographers are trained that we must think of getting hired by agencies or showing at galleries to make a living. But in reality, there is still the element of self-publishing that has been overlooked and we teach them that aspect of professional practice,” explained Sipho.
Over time, they invited people and organisations to the professional photographic space to facilitate their classes.
These included individuals and organisations such as Dahlia Maobane, Molemo Moloi, Keleketla Library and Alphabet Zoo.
“We try our very best to make our workshops as relevant as possible, by having industry-based people to facilitate our session, and show them what it is like to be an independent artist,” said Khumalo.
They have also been involved in teaching photographers to create public gallery exhibitions to showcase their work. The team has also been involved in the self-publication of some of their work.
The three are planning to launch a photography game in mid-2023. They plan to collaborate with major players in the digital innovation space including Tshimologong and Wits University.
Pictured above: FStop provides a path to the next generation of photographers
Image source: Supplied
