UPDATE: Good news! Charmain WhatsApped me to let me know that a man called Roger has very kindly offered to help her with a camera.
Charmain Carrol is one of the gutsiest women I know. A professional photographer based in Johannesburg, she’s a plus-sized black woman who wants other plus-sized black women to feel good about themselves – so she captures them at their glamorous best. You can read her story and see her work here.
I met Charmain thanks to Sindi Van Zyl, and helped her with her exhibition at Constitution Hill. She also inspired the painting I created for the cover of the Mail & Guardian Abafazi supplement.
Two weeks ago, her life was turned upside down. Criminals broke into her place and took her camera, phone, computer equipment and hard drives. Even the photo of Charmain in this blog post had to be sourced from Twitter because everything else is gone.
Two years of hard work, gone.
Charmain was devastated, but she’s picked herself up and says her mourning period is over.
Now there are practical challenges. Without a camera, she can’t earn a living. A friend has been lending her a camera when she needs it , but it’s a temporary solution.
Here’s where I am hoping you can help.
Charmain needs a second hand camera – ideally a Canon 60D or 5D with standard lens.
Insurance. As a freelancer, Charmain’s income has been too erratic to afford insurance payments, but this means that the crime we all live with has a devastating impact on her.
A second hand MacBook powerful enough to handle lots of images.
If you can help, please mail Charmain: charmaincarol at gmail.com
Or contact her on 076 181 0009