“After a rainy and turbulent flight I finally land in Cape Town, itβs a Sunday evening and the weather is a bit chilly. I left summer to enter a wintery Cape Town, and the contrast of the weather and city landscape against Johannesburg was a slight shock, in a good way. I am still awestruck at the idea of having the mountain right in the middle of the city!
I have settled in quite well, and none of this would have been possible without my incredible mentor Lauren. She introduced me to everyone at Orms and the Orms Cape Town School of Photography. I was met with smiling eyes and friendly welcomes.
We drove to the Phillippi farms and started the research process of my project, it was a small adventure for us because we knew no one there, we fortunately met a few business owners on the farm and started conversations with them. Our starting point was with a man named Effort, he is a business owner selling vegetables and other processed foods such as bottled honey. In our long conversation he talked about how his farmer has given him the space to work and sell, as well as promote the farm itself. The relationship between the farmer and Effort seemed to be a symbiotic one, I am excited to further investigate their dynamic on the farm.
On a lighter note, I also met the cutest dog on the planet, the wonderful and sweet little Lucy, on the Orms School of Photography campus. This was a lovely highlight of my first week in Cape Town apart from my project. I have also settled in well into my hotel, it is very cozy and I get so much work done. I am looking forward to the following weeks of my stay here.”
