Lesotho Through The Lens of Kgomotso Neto Tleane
When we chose the winner of the 2017 Jameson Music Video Grant, we knew the shoot was going to be a visual treat. Winning director Carl Houston Mc Millan’s concept is centered around capturing Basotho shepherd culture in rural Lesotho. So we sent talented young photographer Kgomotso Neto Tleane with, tasking him with capturing all the behind the scenes action high in the mountains.
See Kgomotso’s Behind the Scenes Photographs
The Impepho Music Video is out. If you haven’t yet, watch it now!
However, going beyond the brief seems to be Kgomotso’s trademark. He came back with a series of photographs that are so rich and textured, that they could stand alone as a body of work.
Kgomotso Neto Tleane grew up in the village of Ga Maja. He moved to Johannesburg to study law, but didn’t graduate. He was working in a call centre when he decided to buy his first camera. “I don’t really know why. I just had the urge to document the people and places around me,” he says. He spent the last 4 years learning the technical skills to do just that.
His recent work (including this series) blurs the line between documentary and fine art photography, creating mesmerising imagery that has raw realness at its core.
“I spend a lot of time thinking about how pictures can be used to change our collective perception of “normality”. I’m interested in capturing the people, places and moments we easily overlook, or don’t regard as significant or important. The everyday hero – that is my subject matter.” – Kgomotso Neto Tleane.
We’re honoured to present to you a Jameson INDIE Channel Exclusive:
A photo story by Kgomotso Neto Tleane which heroes the everyday lives of the rural shepherd community of Semonkong.
