Keeping Their Eye on the Ball

The 2010 Photojournalism and Documentary Photography Programme (PDP) is currently underway with a record enrollment of 22 students from across the continent. Students from Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe have joined the course which is run by the Johannesburg-based Market Photo Workshop with the kind support of Getty Images.

Thanks to the staging of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa,  the country is poised to become Grand Central for professional photographers who hope to capture the ultimate  moment on the pitch. For their part, PDP students are already hard at work recording the final countdown to the tournament.

Photo courtesy of Wairimu Gitahi/PDP student/Johannesburg

Events documented by students include celebrations on March 2, 2010 to mark the fact that a mere 100 days remained until the World Cup. The national flag, face painting and “vuvuzelas” – plastic trumpets that have become as integral to soccer matches in South Africa as team members – could be spotted at numerous venues.

The distinctive movements of the two vuvuzela players pictured above caught the eye of Wairimu Gitahi, a PDP student from Kenya, during this celebration. “They were moving in a coordinated pattern, to the beat of a phrase that the host for the event kept repeating: ‘You make Jo’burg great!’” Gitachi said.

The celebration was officially wrapped up with a rendition of the national anthem, sung at midday, although certain party goers kept the festivities alive.

Photo courtesy of Wairimu Gitahi/PDP student/Johannesburg

“As the anthem came to an end, these two women burst into cheers, raising the flag and thrusting their arms in the air,” said Wairimu. “This was the first time that I had heard the South African anthem sung … I had a real sense of the significance of the World Cup being held in Africa – that it could cause the continent to be seen in a different light.”

In the spirit of the tournament, a special course on sports and action photography is being held for PDP students this year. The course, taught by World Press Photo award winner and Photo Workshop graduate Sydney Seshibedi, has helped students sharpen their technique to match the speed at which certain sports take place – and to grapple with the logistics of being accredited, on time and well-positioned at sports and action events. Sydney has also shown students that – from the World Cup of 2010 to the “Rumble in the Jungle” of 1974 – sports constitute a significant cultural force.

Photo courtesy of Lameck Nyagudi/PDP student/Johannesburg

An assignment for the course on sports and action photography drew Lameck Nyagudi, also from Kenya, to document street soccer in Berea, a suburb of Johannesburg where apartment buildings predominate.

“Around the streets, you find young people showing off their soccer skills. Some of the players in this shot (above) juggled the ball with their feet. The more interesting moves got a laugh from the other players.”

Photo courtesy of Lungile Hlatshwayo/PDP student/Johannesburg

Lungile Hlatshwayo, a South African student, found herself at a showdown between Premier Soccer League teams Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns: “This moment came as Chiefs made their first attempt at a goal. On some of the spectators’ faces, you can see the realization dawning that the team hasn’t scored. The mood at the match was tense, as Chiefs had to win to move forward in the league.”

Photo courtesy of Jay Caboz/PDP student/Johannesburg

For Jay Caboz, another student from South Africa, a photo from a school rugby match between the colleges of St Benedict’s and St John’s, both in Johannesburg, earned him a “Pic of the Week” award from the PDP class.

“The winger burst through a gap and managed to make the try,” he said. “I positioned myself as close to the action as I could to capture the expression on the scorer’s face … I could just feel that something was about to happen.”

Between lessons and shoots, students have benefited from insights provided by Getty Images contributor Jonathan Torgovnik and Krisanne Johnson – recipient of a Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography – both of whom have given presentations at the Photo Workshop this year.

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