Waiting in the Heat

I photographed this man in the Tankwa, Karoo, in the middle of summer: the kind of heat where the rocks feel hot enough to cook on. He was sitting in the shade, waiting for his bicycle to be repaired. His collarbone, long healed in the wrong position, hinted at a life of hard physical work in a region known for its brutal summers and bitter winters.

I was on location shooting behind the scenes for a fashion job when I noticed him watching us quietly. Something in his presence, the stillness, the depth in his expression, pulled me in. I approached him, and asked if I could take his portrait. He nodded softly, holding his packet of cigarettes. After taking the photo, I thanked him by offering to buy him a toasted sandwich.

This portrait is a moment of honesty and resilience; a man shaped by heat, labour and life, captured with respect.