Recycle

Recycling center, Orange Farm, Gauteng.

Rigid

Braamfontein, downtown Joburg. I've been drawn to the beauty of ugly buildings for a long time, and this was one of the worst - and most interesting - I saw there.

Mai Mai II

Making sandals out of used tires. Nike, adidas knock-off logos are designed in to help sales.

Bent

I can't for the life of me figure out how this light pole in Blairgowrie, Johannesburg, got bent this high up. All the others on the block stood straight.

Obit

An obituary posted on an electrical box in Braamfontein, near the University of the Witswaterstrand.

Pondering

Watching the July protest in Thokoza.

Where Were You?

The City of Johannesburg is trying to develop the Newtown area as an arts district. Some sections have come further than others. While wandering around, a little lost, looking for a print gallery this summer I came across this open door. Click on the image to see it larger, and read the graffito inside.

Shacks

Another from Thokoza.

Thokoza Protest

Recycle

In Orange Farm, one of the largest 'informal' settlements in Johannesburg, one couple has started a recycling center to both clean up the community and provide jobs and training to the people there. To call the Itsoseng Women's Center a shoestring operation is an understatement.

Morning, Orange Farm

Orange Farm is one of the largest "informal" settlements outside Johannesburg, with the bulk of the housing like this shack. There is electric, and water infrastructure was just installed in the last few months - though the roads have not been paved since.

I've been using Fuji Pro color film in the Holga and love how it generally renders the deep blues of the sky.

Roof Walker

I saw this guy scamper up the ladder (visible angled away from the right rear corner of the building) onto the roof and watched as he walked along the perimeter of the top of the building. I had one frame left, no more film with me and he disappeared from sight. I stood there, waiting and watching, until he finally reappeared. He was moving so quickly I had no idea whether I caught him or how well I framed the photo. Pleasantly surprised when the film came back.

Mai Mai

Mia Mai is a collections of Zulu shops in Johannesburg - lots of animal parts and herbs for medicinal uses - with the occasional clothing thrown in.

Bloody Hands, Thokoza

Residents of Thokoza, the second largest black township in Johannesburg, started protesting poor service delivery by the government on July 21. Police tried to break up the crowd using rubber bullets, and this man claimed they bloodied his hands as they tried to clear things out.

Gold

The gold rush that helped found the city of Johannesburg continues, thanks to new technologies. Mining companies now use new processes to extract gold from landfills like this one created when what was thought to be spent ore was discarded.