INTERVIEW WITH BASETSANA MALULEKA

Portrait of Basetsana Maluleka

INTERVIEW BY PRETTY MANGENA

IQHAWE: Please tell us a bit about yourself and your journey as a photographer?

BASETSANA: I am 25 years old, I was born and raised in Pretoria but I am based in Johannesburg now. I was a finance student for 3 years, then I dropped out then ventured into full-time photography, but it wasn’t a planned thing. I just did it because I felt like it was something I needed to do. I got a camera and I thought, “I genuinely enjoy doing this thing so let me just do it full-time”. After making that leap, I joined Umuzi and I graduated there. I then started working as an assistant at lamppost for a year and a half. This year, I am part of the lamppost luminaries and I am freelancing on the side.

IQHAWE: Has Umuzi influenced your craft in anyway?

BASETSANA: I don’t think Umuzi influenced my creative practice as such. I found that it was easy for me to me craft and structure what I had to say. I just didn’t know how to go about getting my work out there and how to shoot and market myself, so I feel I got that from Umuzi. However, my creative practice is just me expressing myself. Whatever I feel at that time - be it personal or related to a close friend – that’s what I shoot, that’s how I create. It’s something very personal so everything I create is very intimate and very sensitive. So that’s what I translate into my work.

IQHAWE: What best describes your work, if you had to put it into a brief summary?

BASETSANA: So, I find it difficult to answer this question because I express myself using photographs to explain whatever it is that I am going through at that point. So, there is a friend of mine that outlines it for me and what she told me is that I am a very emotional photographer. I am a ‘feeler’ and everything that I shoot stems from the heart. That’s why I am so passionate about shooting black women and how they are represented in the creative world. All the uncomfortable conversations people do not want to have regarding black womanhood and creativity - I want to put it out there in the form of myself or using subjects. I conduct many interviews and have brainstorming sessions with people I know are going through that particular thing and we come up with one concept that is translated into the work. I shoot whatever feels personal to me and close to my heart.

IQHAWE: Are the politics of the representation of black women something that you put into mind when you are creating or is it something that happens organically?

BASETSANA: Since I’m a black woman myself, it’s a really personal and comfortable topic to tackle. As I mentioned earlier, it’s easier for me to talk about what I am going through than trying to understand other people. Understanding creative women and shooting them is a way for me to express my thoughts and feelings through their stories. It’s easier for me to talk about black women’s experiences because I am one – and I believe that I cannot express anything that I am not. Talking about black womanhood is a comfortable space for me to be in, because that’s where I am from and that’s who I am.

IQHAWE: With everything that you do, what do you find the most interesting?

BASETSANA: Black women and women in general. It’s interesting for me to shoot black women and to represent them well in the world. I think I resonate a lot with that content because black women have been silenced and pushed aside by intersecting forms of oppression. That’s something I want to voice out there and I want to create awareness around that topic. This is also a male dominated industry, and the fact that we constantly must justify our competence is mind boggling to me. I am just as competent as some guy, if not better. The most interesting part the portraits I take of women, how I decide style them and how I decide to prop the entire set and what message I am trying to put out there. It fulfills me on many levels because I feel I have said something that has been bothering me for a long time - so that is the most comfortable state, for me.

IQHAWE: How have you been able to navigate being a black female in the industry?

BASETSANA: The most important thing is to stay true to yourself. It hasn’t been easy. I won’t lie, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for the longest time and I think when I finally found my voice, I started doing everything on my own terms and not compromising or thinking twice about it. Once you have your voice, you can stand your ground and speak to the right people.

There are people in Joburg that are going to sell you dreams and sell you lies. Stick to what you started shooting for and be authentic. When you find your voice, you can connect with the right people who can help you stay true to yourself, while acknowledging that you are still learning. You can be very genuine with who you connect with and the work you are trying to put out there. Know that you cannot please everyone. I am at a point where I am shooting for myself and I don’t care about anything else.

For anyone who is getting into the industry, they should be mentally prepared for the bullying -especially as a woman - you are going to be undermined, you are always going to have to prove yourself and prove that you are worthy of being in that room. You should fight, don’t give in and don’t give them the satisfaction of you giving up. Fight until you get there. I am not there yet and I am still fighting even now and I am not going to stop.

IQHAWE: Do you have some form of creative process implemented when it comes to creating work?

BASETSANA: My inspiration usually something that hits me when I am not even thinking about it. It comes to me as a random thought or I just see an article or while I am watching the news. I will get a recurring thought that comes to me. I put everything down on paper, I usually write on my glass door and put all my ideas on there. Once I have narrowed everything down, I create a mood board and from there I talk to my copywriter. I tell her all my ideas and she gives me a write up, then I shoot. Sometimes I shoot and she does the write up for me aftwerwards. It’s easier for me to have images that translate into something that is going to be powerful at the end of the day.

It is never linear, it’s an organic process.

IQHAWE: What elements of shooting do you think upcoming photographers need to take into account?

BASETSANA: I am a very messy photographer. Photography is light, so if you have very good lighting you are going to do less work in post-production. I do close to nothing in post because most of the things are achieved when shooting. I try to get a perfect picture on the camera before I even do any work in post. I am not a big fan of sitting in front of a computer for hours trying to retouch skin or anything of that nature.

IQHAWE: What has been your favorite image thus far?

BASETSANA: I am currently working on the self-portrait series. It’s titled ‘the Rediscovered Self’, where I am seeing myself for who I am and trying to put myself out there with all the weird and ugly parts of myself that I didn’t want people to see. I am trying to show people my true self. I think that’s been one of the most challenging and fulfilling projects I have worked on recently. The other one is the Bag lady shoot I did with a friend of mine. We did a short fashion film and stills. Those are the two that stand out for me.

IQHAWE: What have been some of the most successful or impactful moments in your career?

BASETSANA: I was part of the design Indaba class of 2019 and for me that was the biggest thing. Getting into the lamppost luminaries was also a big moment for me because they only select four people. I had to push myself even harder because it means someone believes in me.

IQHAWE: How do you deal with creative blocks?

BASETSANA: I had a creative block for 2 years, I couldn’t shoot anything except for client work and I only came back and started shooting my own work this year. During quarantine, I went in and out of creative blocks for obvious reasons. My girlfriend took me out of that black hole. She told me to shoot whatever I needed to shoot. She told me to shoot every single day and to post it on my Instagram stories just to keep the momentum going. After that it started coming to me naturally. It became a ritual, but I had to stop again because of work.

IQHAWE: How do you go about getting yourself out there?

BASETSANA: I am very active on Behance. I constantly update and make sure my work is up there.

IQHAWE: When it comes to brands, how do collaborations come about?

BASETSANA: I have been very privileged because I get most of my work from referrals, but I have sent out a few proposals to people I think are going to be of great value to my brand and what I represent and would like to communicate to the world.

IQHAWE: Is there a structure that governs rates in the Industry for one to know what overcharging and undercharging is?

BASETSANA: I have had mentors that help me go about the process but more than anything it’s about the amount of experience that you have in the industry. If you are entry level you have to humble yourself and do freebies if you have to, but they have to contribute towards your portfolio. Do any freebie that you think is going to help you. My mentors helped me with pricing and getting compensated what I deserve. It also depends on what you’re doing, whether it’s commercials or corporate gigs. You should talk to someone in the industry who knows the standards and rates to help you.

IQHAWE: What are the three practical things one needs to understand and know before getting into the industry?

BASETSANA: Basic things: know how to use a camera, master whatever camera you’re using - just master and know how to use it. Know the power of whatever machine you have. That’s what’s going to put you there. Never stop shooting and have good quality work on your Instagram, ask for as much advice as you can and dm and annoy people. Know your software, if you are not familiar with software contact someone who might be willing to help or mentor you. Lastly, gain practical experience, you must be on set with someone who is doing the actual job with no pay. That’s how I started and I still do till this day. Whenever I feel I am lacking I put myself out there to ask for help.

IQHAWE: What do the next five years look like for you? What do you want to achieve that you haven’t done in the next five years?

BASETSANA: I need to get out of South Africa. I want to practice outside and see how the world is doing their thing. That has been my biggest thing since the beginning of this year. Once the pandemic passes, I am hoping to get an opportunity outside. I would like to leave the county. Long term, the goal is representing black creative women. I just want to create a space where they feel comfortable and can be their best at whatever they are doing in any medium. I want to be a safe haven for back creative women because we don’t have that.