I am a voice that jots down its thoughts on scripts… An eye that documents moments of history being made.

I am Lerato Jane Molefe, and I’m a photographer, scriptwriter and voice over artist based in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg. With my passion for storytelling and desire of being a revolutionary voice for the voiceless, I capture culture and lifestyle in the most artistic and unique way.

I operate my own photography company, called MB Photography SA. We specialise mostly in photojournalism. However, we also cover events, birthday celebrations, weddings and much more.  I believe that a good photograph isn’t taken but is made with precision to leave a mark.

The Lockdown has affected my business immensely, as it was shifting to becoming a stock library to supply content to magazines, newspapers, ad agencies and online platforms. The lockdown has delayed this expansion in terms of having means to get other photographers to contribute to the formation of MB Photography’s stock library.

On the bright side, I’m currently working on a campaign headed by The Wot-if? Trust, called ‘Covid in the Kasi’, which is about covering topics or issues around the township about how the pandemic is impacting the lives of many people.

The biggest challenge I’ve been facing with running my business is not having transport to get to faraway location shoots, not getting new equipment so I can capture better photographs and also not having a photo printing machine, as some of my clients like enlarging their pictures and having them printed out.

Not having access to the Father Louis Blondel Centre (FLBC) has made the digital side of running my business more difficult as there I had access to free Wi-Fi. Data is expensive so now accessing emails and business social media pages is a stretch in my pocket!

Personally, lockdown has impacted me negatively, because prior the lockdown I was completing my internship at Anza R Photography. I was getting so much industry knowledge on how to make photography a business, I was using editing software that I became quite good at using and I was seeing my photography skills elevate as well. So when lockdown hit, I was stopped from going to the office and now I’m uncertain of what the future holds for me at Anza R Photography.

Working on the Covid in the Kasi project means a lot to me, as a writer and as a photojournalist. I get to be the eye that documents history, the writer that shares human stories. I’m creating content for the township – creating it so the people’s stories I share get recognised and make an impression so that those very same people can be assisted by the public. It’s phenomenal as a creative to see the impact your work has, the hearts you reach and the eyes you open up. It makes this Covid19 crisis a lot easier to handle.

We are beings of nature and we root from the same ground.