Travel provides us with a veritable treasure trove of photographic opportunities. Markets, festivals and parades all offer unique possibilities and challenges for the travel photographer. Many of these possibilities involve people. But when is it appropriate to photograph someone you don’t know? And is permission required?

Leica M6 camera with Leica 35mm Summicron f2 Aspherical lens

Whenever I’m considering an overseas trip I always consult a guidebook to determine any local sensitivities towards photography. Such sensitivities could be religious, age, gender, political or security based. Did you know that, for example, candid street photography is illegal in Saudi Arabia? Not knowing this fact could place the photographer, whether professional or tourist, into serious trouble.

Once I have a general understanding of any local expectations and taboos relating to photography I can then decide whether photography based trip is worthwhile.

When it comes to people-based photography my own preference is to make interactive portraits that display a collaborative approach between subject and viewer. I’ve hardly ever photographed a truly candid image. Although, in practice, I’ve organised many images that have the look of a candid moment. It’s silly to think that, unless you’re hidden from view with a very long lens, that you’re able to photograph someone in a way that is truly candid. The fact is that your camera, and in particular the size of your lens, announces your presence and advertises your intentions. Some folks probably think that by sneaking around you’ll be able to catch or snatch a photo. Chances are the locals have formed much the same impressions of your intentions and, by implications, of you.

There is one lesson, in particular, that I learned as a child, which has stayed with me throughout my life and largely determines how I interact with people. I remember my dear mother saying “How would you feel if someone had done that to you”. Perhaps that’s a question the long lens brigades should ask themselves. The compassionate photographer has to balance the needs of the subject with their own and those of a potentially larger audience.

Of course there may be times when you see something that’s about to happen. If you wait for permission you’ll miss the moment. The best option might be to make the picture and then approach the subject, or their guardian, and explain why you felt it best to make the picture without first asking permission. In such circumstances it’s important that your explanation be part apology. Your courage and tact will open up a dialogue and may provide you with an opportunity to ask permission to make even more photographs. 

I’m not trying to diminish the appropriateness of the telephoto lens for wildlife, sports and certain types of surveillance photography. Nor am I ignoring the way a telephoto lens can further emphasize a subject by separating them from their surroundings and increase the visual power of a sharp subject against an out of focus background. I’m simply pointing out the beauty of an interactive portrait and the merit and positive aspects associated with speaking to people outside of our own life’s experience. I’II write much more about this and related topics over time.

The above image was made at a local market in Yangon, Myanmar. For those not familiar with Southeast Asia, Myanmar is the country formerly known as Burma and Yangon, the capital city, was referred to as Rangoon under British rule.

This shot was made outdoors under hard, bright light just prior to a trip up country. I noticed the spice seller from some distance away. It was a fairly chaotic scene with lots of color, texture and shape. The lady in question was sitting a little too far away from the spices for my liking but, as the light on her face was not particularly flattering, I decided to concentrate my composition more on the spices in the foreground.

Business didn’t seem to be too good. That, together with the bright overhead sun, may have explained her downcast expression. I decided to approach her in a way that would not be embarrassing for either of us. While moving towards her I set my camera for the exposure and Depth of Field I required. Without a common language I asked for permission by lifting the camera upwards while, at the same time, slightly bobbing my head downwards, in a submissive manner, as a measure of respect. She looked up and smiled. I made the picture, thanked her with a smile and moved on. The whole interaction occurred over a few short seconds. Yet, I still have a clear memory of the event and, of course, a photographic record to share with others. It’s important to me that our brief interaction may also have brought some extra happiness into her life.

The image was made with a Leica M6 camera and Leica 35mm Summicron-M Aspherical lens with Kodak Professional Ektachrome 100VS film. 

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Glenn Guy, Blue Sky Photography

A great rock show is an interactive experience – both physically, emotionally and, sometimes also linguistically.
Performers like to have their egos massaged and they stand a better chance of being adored if they butter up the fans with a few well chosen words. As a British Telecom advertising campaign once observed “It’s good to talk”.

This becomes tricky when performing in parts of the world where English is a foreign language (EFL).

Ten years of concert going in Emilia Romagna has enabled me to weigh up the pros and cons of the the three chief methods artists adopt to overcome the language barrier in Italy.

These are: a) The silent way b) The full immersion method c) The collaborative approach

Many (in my view, too many) artists say nothing or next to nothing during a show, usually in order to preserve an air of mystery. They may introduce band members but even this concession is not for everybody. You won’t hear Bob Dylan sharing anecdotes with the crowd or explaining how he came to write a particular song.
This ’silent way’ is a big advantage when performing outside your home country but the
downside is that you run a very real risk of creating a negative rapport by appearing grumpy and distant.
Van Morrison is guilty of this even when performing in the UK. I saw him once at an open air festival in Finsbury Park, North London. It was raining heavily and I and the rest of the audience were soaked to the skin by the time he and his band came on stage. Instead of offering words of consolation, he strolled on stage wearing sunglasses and said nothing.
A minimalist approach is better than this level of aloof disinterest. This may consist of little more than ‘hello‘, ‘bye‘ and ‘this song is called …..‘ but even these few brief words can make all the difference. They show that you care.
David Byrne tends to yell ‘Thank You’ at the end of each song in the manner of a shop assistant speaking to a slightly deaf customer.and while this can be repetitive, it is better than nothing.

This is where artists with no knowledge of the audience’s language nevertheless have a compelling desire to forge a non-musical rapport. It basically consists of speaking at a normal speed as if addressing an English speaking audience. I witnessed this in action at a concert in Faenza last year. Will Oldhan – Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy- (an artist you’d lay odds on being a silent way practitioner) was uncharacteristally chatty. This showed he was in a relaxed mood but only the privileged minority had a clue what he was rambling on about.
The communication breakdown became most apparent when he attempted to tell jokes.
The mixed response to these indicate that they more often than no go down like proverbial lead balloons.
In short, the ‘full immersion method’ is an ambitious but high risk strategy and shows where the collaborative approach comes into its own.

Some collaboration with the audience is an ideal ice breaker. One way to achieve this is to call for translators. This can be quite an effective ice breaking tool and is one Warren Ellis of The Dirty Three deploys. His habit is to ask for a volunteer to act be an unpaid interpretor for the duration of the show. In his case this proves to be a taxing job since he likes to spin a yarn and doesn’t bother simplifying his language. As a result what usually happens is that the artist, translator, audience (or all three) get bored and the translations fizzle out leaving no alternative but to switch to ‘the full immersion’ method.
In its most refined form the ‘collaborative approach’ consists of artists speaking in a slow, clear manner using simplified language and pausing to check on the level of understanding.
If difficult words or phrases prove to be stumbing blocks a call For translators can ease the pain.
If the artist is bi-lingual but neither language is the native tongue of the audience, using non English words or phrases can be a good practice. Devendra Banhart switches between English and Spanish when singing and speaking which doubles his chances of being understood.
Showing a willingness to learn non English expressions could pay dividends but should be used sparingly. I remember The Delgados referring to an Italian phrase book throughout a concert in Rimini and what started out as mildly amusing soon became tiresome and a little patronising.

In conclusion, I would say that to impress non-English speaking fans, artists in foreign territory have to learn to fine tune their between song patter and tweek their communicative approach.

That includes you, Van!