NONPROFIT PHOTOGRAPHY INTERNSHIP, CAPE TOWN

From $ 2600

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Live the life of a humanitarian photographer.

If you’re looking for a photography internship abroad, and you’re interested in exploring the potential photography has to advance social impact causes, this photography internship in Cape Town might be what you’re looking for. We’re excited to offer quite a unique experience; as a photography intern, you’ll get to learn from a professional humanitarian photographer, and you’ll be embedded with nonprofit causes you feel passionate about. You’ll learn about their programs, document their work through your lens, and help them use the images to raise awareness for their cause. It’s a wonderful way to build confidence as a photographer, use photography as a tool to drive positive change, and build a diverse portfolio of images. You can join us for 3 to 8 weeks. Apply now – or read on for more details.

QUICK FACTS
Cape Town, South Africa
Regular start dates
Nonprofit Photography
Mentor: Anna Lusty
Group Size: Max. 3
Intermediate & Advanced
INTERNSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
Map of South Africa
1
Improve your skills

Improve your photography skills through personal tutoring.

2
Learn about nonprofit photography

Get a thorough understanding of the power of images in the context of development work.

3
Contribute to nonprofits

Make an impact through photography by documenting nonprofit work.

4
Gain work experience

Gain work experience on a variety of levels within a photography organisation.

5
Spend time in Cape Town

Live and work in Cape Town, one of the most stunning cities in the world.

  1. Improve your photography skills through personal tutoring.
  2. Get a thorough understanding of the power of images in the context of development work.
  3. Make an impact through photography by documenting nonprofit work.
  4. Gain work experience on a variety of levels within a nonprofit organisation.
  5. Live and work in Cape Town, one of the most stunning cities in the world. 
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THE DESTINATION

We can’t think of a better setting for a photography internship abroad than South Africa’s ‘Mother City’ – Cape Town. With its glorious natural setting and its vibrant mix of cultures, Cape Town is a fascinating city, and a hugely photogenic one. As a photographer, you’ll be inspired by the dramatic mountain ranges and coast lines, the colourful street scenes, and the many development projects happening in and around the city. It’s a place of contrasts, complications, and colors, and as a keen photographer, you’ll never be bored.

NONPROFIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Cape Town is home to a great number of nonprofit organisations that fight issues like poverty, lack of educational and health facilities, and domestic abuse. Many of these organisations don’t have strong images to raise awareness for their cause, which is where Penda Trust steps in. We provide free photography for grassroots charities, so that they can use them for their communications and fundraising campaigns. Images are a powerful tool in telling the right stories, and if they reach potential donors, this can have a great impact. We work with charities focused on education, sports coaching, eco-education, female empowerment, animal welfare, urban greening, food security, coaching, and much more.

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YOUR INTERNSHIP & IMPACT

You’ll start your photography internship in Cape Town with a one-week nonprofit photography course taught by humanitarian photographer Anna Lusty. Anna will help you improve your technical photography and post production skills, but she’ll mostly focus on introducing you to all elements of nonprofit photography. She’ll give you a solid understanding of the nonprofit sector in Cape Town and the ways in which photography can contribute to grassroots nonprofits. Through a combination of theory sessions and practical photography shoots in the field, Anna will show you how to effectively capture social impact programs, and how to adopt an ethical approach to humanitarian photography.

From the second week, you’ll be placed with a nonprofit organization that we’ll carefully match you with. We’ll make sure you’ll be embedded with a cause-driven project you feel passionate about; it could be focused on social impact, community development, animal welfare, women’s empowerment, human rights, environmental issues, or a combination of these. You’ll be supervised by someone within the organization, and you’ll have the option of setting up tutoring and reflection sessions with Anna throughout your stay.

This photography internship is a great opportunity to witness important nonprofit work at a grassroots level, to make an impact through your photography, to gain confidence as a photographer, and to build up a diverse portfolio.

DATES & LENGTH

You can join us for 3 to 8 weeks. Ideally you’ll arrive on the weekend, so that you can start your program on the Monday. There’s a level of flexibility, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss your preferred dates. We can take up to three interns at a time on this program.

We currently have workshops scheduled to start on the following dates in 2023;
May 14 / July 17 / Oct 16

RATES

The rates are as follows;
3 weeks $ 2,600
4 weeks $ 2,900
5 weeks $ 3,200
6 weeks $ 3,500
7 weeks $ 3,900
8 weeks $ 4,100

This includes;

  • Accommodation in a comfortable guest house in the heart of Cape Town (on a sharing basis)
  • Daily breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday
  • Airport transfers
  • A one-week workshop with Anna Lusty that focuses on the approach and ethics of nonprofit photography
  • Logistical support on the ground
  • Thorough matchmaking with the right nonprofit organization for you, and logistical support before and throughout your internship by Roots Interns, our partners for internships
REQUIREMENTS & HOW TO APPLY

We’re open to applications for 2023! The requirements for this photography internship are;

  • You need to be a reasonably experienced photographer. (You don’t have to be a seasoned pro, but you do need to have a good camera, good technical skills, and some experience.) We will adapt your projects to your photography level.
  • An ability to work fairly independently.
  • A passion for using photography as a tool for positive change.

If you’re keen to apply, please fill out this form, and we’ll get back to you asap! (Note that this form also applies to our Impact Photography Program, so just indicate you’re interested in the internship.)

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YOUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Sunday: Arrival in Cape Town

We’ll meet you at the airport in Cape Town and drive you to your accommodation, in the heart of the city. You’ll have time to settle in and explore your new surroundings.

Week 1: Nonprofit Photography Workshop

You’ll enjoy a full week workshop with professional photographer Anna Lusty. This will get you fully introduced to nonprofit photography. Through both theoretical and practical sessions, Anna will show you how visual images can contribute to a nonprofit’s mission, how you can best capture field-based projects, and how to approach this in a culturally sensitive way. We work in small groups and there will be plenty of opportunity for personalized tutoring by Anna, so that you can work at your own level and focus on your desired learning outcomes.

Week 2 & Onwards

From week two, you’ll join a nonprofit organization as their photographer. You’ll document their projects, help them build a database of strong images, and assist with using images in an effective way through various online communications channels. You might spend your full internship with one organization, or you might mix it up and join a few, depending on how you’d like to approach it. You can opt to have regular tutoring sessions with Anna if you’d like (at an additional cost).

QUICK FACTS
Cape Town, South Africa
Regular start dates
Nonprofit Photography
Mentor: Anna Lusty
Group Size: Max. 3
Intermediate & Advanced

From $2600

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INCLUDES
  • Accommodation in Cape Dutch style guesthouse the heart of Cape Town
  • Breakfast and dinner (Mon-Fri)
  • Airport transfers
  • Transport to and from projects
  • Guidance by a professional photographer
  • On the ground support
EXCLUDES
  • Flights to Cape Town
  • Lunch
  • Travel insurance
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RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

EQUIPMENT

  • An SLR / mirrorless camera
  • Ideally a range of lenses

PHOTOGRAPHY TUTOR: ANNA LUSTY

You’ll be guided by professional photographer Anna Lusty. Originally from the UK, Anna has lived and worked in South Africa for almost two decades. She splits her time between commercial and voluntary photography projects, and has many years of experience in documenting the work of charitable organisations. Anna is a strong believer of photography as a powerful tool for nonprofits to tell their stories and raise funds. She travels extensively for her nonprofit work, and her images have been used for websites, annual and donor reports, brochures and flyers, coffee table books for major donors and for specific campaigns. You can find out more about Anna on her site.

From $2,600

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INCLUDES
  • Accommodation in a comfortable guest house in the heart of Cape Town (on a sharing basis)
  • Daily breakfast and dinner from Monday to Friday
  • Airport transfers
  • A one-week workshop with Anna Lusty that focuses on the approach and ethics of nonprofit photography
  • Logistical support on the ground
  • Thorough matchmaking with the right nonprofit organization for you, and logistical support before and throughout your internship by Roots Interns, our partners for internships
EXCLUDES
  • Flights to Cape Town
  • Lunch
  • Travel insurance

PHOTOGRAPHY TUTOR: ANNA LUSTY

You’ll be guided by both the Penda Trust team in the office, and by professional photographer Anna Lusty, who will offer personalised tutoring during regular sessions. Originally from the UK, Anna has lived and worked in South Africa for almost two decades. She splits her time between commercial and voluntary photography projects, and has many years of experience in documenting the work of charitable organisations. Anna is a strong believer of photography as a powerful tool for nonprofits to tell their stories and raise funds. She travels extensively for her nonprofit work, and her images have been used for websites, annual and donor reports, brochures and flyers, coffee table books for major donors and for specific campaigns.

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