Three Days in the Life
I talk about this project a lot. Whenever I meet someone new, I find it difficult to avoid entering into the lengthy explanation of What We See––how it came to fruition, who I am working with, what I plan to do with it, etc. To some of these questions I can patter off responses by rote, while others––mainly any to do with the future––have no concrete answers yet.
Often, people wonder how I work on my project. As director/producer/photographer/blogger (and the rest of the slew of titles that accompany heading your own low budget endeavor), I work on the project every day in some form or another. For those out there too afraid to ask “What exactly do you do all day?”––here is a condensed version of the past few days of What We See:
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 18
Over a month ago, I made a reservation at the Test Kitchen for when my father would be visiting Cape Town. He arrived last week Tuesday and has been knocked out with flu-like symptoms since then but even his rib-rattling cough and vice-like sore throat could not get in the way of this meal. Because he is wonderfully loving and knows how much I adore good food, my father rallies his spirits despite ailing health and we have an amazing 5 course lunch over 2.5 hours.
In the afternoon we head to my favorite coffee shop to relish in free wifi and good flat whites (a mix between a latte and a cappuccino). While he answers work emails and downloads the most recent photos of my new-born cousin (and goddaughter!), I confirm a meeting for later that week and send out a few more emails introducing myself and my project to possible future connections. Online networking is a very large and necessary part of What We See: I schedule most interviews, photo shoots and meetings through email, and I am constantly on the look out for organizations, blogs or people that may be a source for new contacts. This week, I’m on the hunt for religious organizations that focus on fostering LGBTI friendly environments. I send out ten or so emails to various group leaders in the hope that one or two of them may actually get back to me.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 19
In the morning, my dad and I are back at my coffee shop for a few hours of emailing. My computer time yesterday has paid off––I get a response from Beulah Durrheim, an openly gay female pastor who is willing to meet up! I email back quickly to lock down a date.
At noon, I have lunch with Max Price, a family friend who also happens to be the Vice Chancellor of UCT. Over delicious vegetarian Indian food, I tell him about the project and he gives me the names of some possible academic contacts. I am slowly building a web of connections that at times doubles over itself in interesting ways; Max advises me to contact a few people whose names I had already written down after meeting with the founders of Out in Africa, a gay and lesbian film festival. One of these proposed contacts is Professor Jane Bennett, who is ironically away teaching at my own alma mater, Barnard College. Coincidences such as these––some helpful, some not––seem to pop up constantly.
At 3pm, Naima, Mayra and I head out to Paarl for our weekly meeting with Zonwabele. The meeting starts late, so I introduce a couple of the girls to the Princess Bride and they watch the first twenty minutes of it on my laptop. Completely hooked, they make me promise that they can continue next week. When the leaders arrive, we spend over an hour talking to a few members of the group; I film and photograph while Naima and Mayra lead the interviewing.
I film using my Canon 600D set up on a tripod, simultaneously taking photos with a Bronica ETRS (120 film camera from the 1970s). I will be carrying the rolls of film from the Bronica with me throughout my trip and developing them myself when I return to the US––if all goes according to plan, it is these photos which will be included in my final project, while the digital photos will be used primarily on the blog for now.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 20
In the morning, I meet Mayra in the city centre to take photographs of Tiffany Mugo, a woman I interviewed the previous week. We start in the Company Gardens, a lush green park that I had no clue even existed. I use the Bronica while Mayra takes photos with my Canon, and after getting some photos with the dramatic Table Mountain in the background we move on to a nearby cafe. The owner of the restaurant is only too pleased to let us take some quick shots, he even brings out his own spot light to help with the lighting.
I head straight from the city centre to my meeting with the pastor who contacted me the day before, picking up Naima along the way (Mayra had lunch plans). We meet Beulah in the Blue Route Mall and spend an hour talking about her personal journey coming out as a lesbian pastor. Afterwards, I drop Naima off and go home to quickly charge my camera battery before heading off to meet Mayra for another interview.
Mayra and I spend a few hours talking to Shifra Jacobson, a lesbian Jewish mother of two adopted Xhosa girls. Shifra’s incredible past includes activism in South Africa, London and Israel––my favorite part was when she brought out the old Femina magazines that announced her and her partner’s adoption: “And Baby Makes Three!”.
I head home, exhausted. Interviews take a lot out of me, being constantly on point for an extended time turns my brain to mush. But I know that tomorrow I have no meetings planned and I can spend the day processing all of this new information and, of course, sending out emails.