As an artist, I feel there is nothing more gratifying than being able to use your gift of art as a means in which you are able to bring a greater level of social awareness to the world. On that note, I decided to set out for South Africa last summer where I would spend a month shooting. My trip was two fold; first and foremost I wanted to volunteer,as I did, working with disease and poverty stricken orphans. The second part of my mission was to document the trip (shooting) every step of the way as any shrewd photojournalist would do.

 In hindsight, the preparation for the trip was half the battle! Prior to a trip to a foreign country there is much to prepare for beginning with your equipment. In my case i traveled with three cameras, four lenses, extra batteries, chargers, memory cards, a tripod,flash, an electrical converter, and a handy little device called an Epson P5000 which was one form of digital backup for me along with my laptop. Needless to say, my backpack was about one third of my body weight. The most important message I’d like to send with regard to the backpack is to ALWAYS keep it on your person, even while traveling. Nothing could be worse than traveling across the world and upon landing you are told by the airline that your backpack ful of your equipment is no where to be found.

I arrived in South Africa, after much anticipation with an artistic eye and ready to accept any challenges that may come my way. As a photojournalist one must expect and be willing to take on challenges, as you never really know what the conditions will be prior to arriving at your location. My trip kept me on my toes as each and every day I was on the move to a new location; Some more palatable than others. My days began by 6:00am, I’d travel the country all day and shoot, and somewhere around midnight I would be wrapping up the long day in my hotel room, and then it was time to do my two forms of backup from the days shots. This allowed me to feel assured that I wont lose my images and I’d be ready to be on the move again in the morning.

Each time I arrived at an Orphanage I was a bit tense, not knowing how badly the children’s physical and or emotional state might be. The very first Orphanage was overwhelming yet brought me a tremendous amount of joy. I was traveling with a small group of Medical students from the US that were all there to volunteer, and I found myself first in line entering the Orphanage. As I opened the door, suddenly the entire building became silent, and all eyes were on me. I was draped in cameras and other equipment and didn’t want the children to be scared so at the entrance way I sat down on the floor, took one random shot of some of the children and then turned my camera around so they could immediately see the image of themselves. One brave child (none of which spoke English) approached me, looked at my camera’s image and threw her arms around me in a huge embrace. I tried to hold back, but I must admit it brought tears to my eyes. In no time at all, all the kids were rushing over to me...my work had just begun. I found that if I could feel a connection to the children (even with the language barrier in my way) that I would successfully be able to photograph my subjects and have the images accurately speak too my audience.

I found that South Africa was a country of polar opposites. Cape Town was one of the more beautiful sights that I have seen in my life. The neighborhoods were filled with brightly colored homes, so many facing my favorite spot of the country; Cape Point, the southern most tip where the Indian and Atlantic oceans merge. That part of the country was very Mediterranean in feeling. It was spectacular as an artist to have this backdrop. However, the converse was only miles away. This was the first time in my life that I was seeing such poverty, sickness, and lack of regard for human life as I did there. I say that even knowing that the Apartheid movement has made positive changes already, yet apparently there is much more to do.

I designated a portion of my trip to visiting remote areas where refugees had set up homes for themselves. I hired a translator to take me to these villages and get me to meet with the villagers. We drove in an open Jeep in the rain on dirt roads for hours. Again, I wasn’t sure what I was about to be faced with, yet I was so excited to do this. We came upon some ôvillagesö, as they were referred to, and we climbed out of the jeep and headed towards several huts made out of cow manuer, dirt and twigs. One image I shot was of a hut that had a red door; which later became a centerpiece for my solo Gallery show featuring my South African work.

With the help of my translator, I was invited into their huts. I couldn’t have gotten much more up close and personal than this. As a photojournalist I was at the edge of my seat with excitement and fascination, asking many questions of them and then shooting their huts, the surroundings and the refugees themselves. I remained focused to get my work done, which was a great challenge in itself, as I wanted to help them in any way possible. They only had the clothing on their backs, their babies lying on the dirt floor of their huts, and very little to eat or drink. They were gaunt, exhausted, and probably afraid for their unknown future. I was later told by my translator that they were so cordial to me in hopes that I would expose their conditions and be able to help.

I traveled to South Africa as a humanitarian, a photojournalist, and an artist. For someone like myself, an artist/photographer working independently, I find that a little business sense goes a very long way. I was fortunate enough to book a solo Gallery show for this body of work prior to even going. I promoted my Fine Art with the concept that a portion of all my proceeds would go directly back to the orphans that I had visited, as well, I invited and was accompanied to my exhibit by a diplomat from the South African Embassy in Washington DC. My message here is that shooting the material is only one step in the process. A successful photojournalist and or photographer must wear several hats and be prepared to take risks. Presently I am planning my next destination to shoot and look forward to once again being able to bring an ôawarenessö to all people on social issues from around the world. For me, there is no greater gift than using my art to help the less fortunate.

Cape Town Streets

www.BetseyChesler.com

www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/betsey_chesler.aspx