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Portraits in a Strange Land

When traveling in other countries with a camera, you’ll undoubtedly come across people that you will want to photograph. After all, that is really the essence of another country, isn’t it? Especially when the country and corresponding culture are so drastically different from your own. But how does a photographer get these photos? Where is the line between being respectful of the local culture and respecting someone’s privacy and getting the shot? Well, there is no easy answer, but I’ll share a few things I’ve discovered in my recent travels. Of course, my experiences and insights might be different than what you have experienced, but given the very conservative nature of the cultures I’ve recently visited (and photographed), I hope some of it will be useful no matter where you travel.

The Law

First and foremost, know the law before you go. In the United States, I have no problem with giving lip or being difficult with a security guard or police officer who tells me I can’t take photos in a public place because I am a citizen and I know my rights and protections. In another country, especially in countries that may not place a great emphasis on human rights or fair criminal proceedings, the equation changes dramatically. Unfortunately, there is no easy-to-find resource for finding this out.

For example, while I was in India, I was told by a security guard that I could not take a photo of a particular office building. In the US, if I was told I couldn’t take a photo of a building from a public sidewalk, especially if I was told by a private security guard, I’d take the photo anyway, or at least challenge him. In India, not so much. I simply nodded my head and walked away.

In Palestine, too, I had to be mindful of where I took photos. Obviously at Israeli checkpoints, photography is generally frowned upon. Of course, there are photos of Israeli checkpoints all over the place if you look for them. The problem is that this is often left up to the commander on-site and you will most likely require explicit permission to take photos. If not, you may be able to get a few shots but you risk having your camera confiscated for good. In addition, since I was traveling with local Palestinians, it’s likely that they or their families would have suffered the consequences of me taking an unauthorized photo. Not a risk I was willing to take. Maybe next time I’ll risk a few shots, if I’m traveling alone.

While the Israeli army is likely to be the greatest impediment to photo freedom in Palestine, one of my Palestinian friends has had his camera confiscated by Palestinian security forces inside the city of Nablus. They confiscated his camera for a few days before they finally gave it back to him. Had he had a “photography permit” from the Palestinian Authority, he could have avoided this altogether. Of course, I walked around with a camera and without a permit and I didn’t have any problems. But when we came across armed men, I did my best to either hide the camera and/or not take photos anywhere near them. Maybe it wouldn’t have been a problem, maybe it would have. But, the underlying problem is, in volatile places such as these, you may never really know what the rules are. Be mindful of it at all times.

Unfortunately, I don’t know of any central resource for photography laws worldwide, but you might be able to find some answers by searching the Internet, finding a few people on Flickr who are local, or, your best option may be calling the embassy of the country you’re interested in. Bottom line: Be aware that you are in a country where you may not have the same protections and rights you have at home.

Asking Permission, or Just Shoot

This is a tough one. Most people will tell you to be respectful of the local people and always ask before you take a photo of someone. In my experience, if I asked permission before I took a photo of someone, there wouldn’t be anyone in any of my photos.

I’m not saying you should shove your lens in the face of anyone you want without so much as a warning, but if you give people the option to say no, many of them will. You want to be respectful but you also want the shot. So you have to judge for yourself whether permission is required or not. Many times, if I make eye contact with someone, I’ll politely smile, gesture with my camera, and judge their reaction. When I do this, I estimate that I have about a 50% success rate in getting the shot.

Other times, if it’s a public street and a public situation, I’ll just point and shoot, trying to make sure my camera settings are ready to go. Therefore, anytime I enter an area where the lighting changes significantly, I’ll have the camera meter the light and then I’ll change the ISO or aperture appropriately. That way I’m ready to go without having to change settings and potentially miss the shot. Then when the opportunity presents itself, one of two things will happen:

- If the person is looking at me or in my general direction, I’ll (somewhat) slowly put the camera up to my face (making sure they see me do it) so that they have the chance to say No or otherwise indicate that they don’t want a photo taken.

- If the person is not looking at me or if the situation I’m trying to catch will soon be over, I just aim and shoot. If the person is still looking at me, or is now looking at me, I’ll smile, nod, and say “thank you” in their language. Most of the time, if it’s practical, I’ll also offer to show them the photo on the LCD… this is especially true with children. Most of the adults will smile and nod approvingly and you’ll be on your way.

The type of photo you’re trying to take will largely determine how you get, or don’t get, permission. Getting a close-up portrait of someone (without a long lens) is a situation where you’ll almost always need to ask for permission. If you’re taking more of a “street view” shot with someone close by on one side of the frame, you may not need to. Just shoot and move on.

Please note, however, that you do this at your own risk. I have never had a problem with the subject of any of my photos, but be aware that it’s possible. You never know, particularly in a different country or culture, how someone may react to having their photo taken. Just be aware of where you are and use your judgment to determine whether or not you should explicitly ask for permission before opening the shutter.

Interesting travel note: I noticed that more people were willing, even eager, to have their photo taken in Palestine than in India. Palestine is a Muslim country and Nablus is a very conservative city, even by Palestinian standards, but I found people in India to be less willing to smile for the camera.

Let Your Lenses Get the Shot

So we all know that a nice, long lens will allow you to get some great close-in candid shots. I would definitely encourage you to do this if you can. However, even with a 200mm lens, you still will have to be in the general vicinity of your subject and they may see you snap the shot. And with a lens that long, it won’t be easy to convince them you were taking a photo of someone else.

This is where I like wide lenses. I have a Canon 24-70mm, f/2.8 lens that I use as my primary walkaround lens. It’s not particularly wide, but on the full-frame 5D, it’s wide enough. The great thing about this lens is that I can get fairly close to someone, place them on the right or left side of the frame, and they still will have no idea they’re in the shot because the lens isn’t pointed right at them. As long as you don’t look guilty, or stare at them and smile after you take it, they’ll probably never know. Is it sneaky? Sure. But you’re a photographer and you want that shot.

Women

Here is where you need to be really careful. In conservative, non-Western cultures, such as India and Palestine, you have to be particularly careful about photographing women, especially women that you do not know.

Usually, I stick to the same guidelines I outlined above but I am much more careful and much more likely to ask for permission, especially if the woman is covered. By “covered”, I generally mean Muslim women wearing an abaya (full-body covering) or hijab (just head covering). Interestingly enough, the percentage of women fully-covered in India was much higher than in Palestine. Most Palestinian women only wear a hijab, while another significant percentage wear no covering at all. Even still, one must be extremely careful.

This even extends to women you do know. For example, in the voluntary workcamp in which I participated, most of the young women allowed me to photograph them but most of them were very concerned about what I was going to do with the photo. And, on top of that, some were concerned about what kinds of photos they were in. A solo or big group photo might be OK, but a photo of them with a guy might not be OK. In addition, it also depended on what they were doing in the photo. During one of our free days, we went to a water park where most of us got completely wet, though still clothed. Many of the young Palestinian ladies were OK with photos of them being online but a lot of them didn’t want photos of them at the water park online. Or, many of them didn’t mind if the photos were on Flickr but many didn’t want them on Facebook, where all their friends were. This included both girls that wore a hijab and girls that weren’t covered at all.

To keep track of it all, I created a spreadsheet where all the girls could tell me if they cared if I uploaded a photo of them, in what situations was it OK, and in what situations was it not OK. Not only did this help me keep track of who wanted what so as to not offend them, I think it put a lot of them at ease, as well.

Something to keep in mind. Being careful is a must when photographing overseas but you must be particularly careful when photographing women.

Children

Ah, the fun part. The kids. We all know that photographing kids, as a stranger, can be a suspicious activity in any country. The same applies overseas. If a parent is around, ask if you can take their child’s photo. Most parents I ran into, didn’t seem to have a problem with it but it’s always a good idea to ask first.

What you do have to be prepared for is the potential mob your photography might create. Once you break through the ice with that first shot, you may be up for taking about a hundred more. This was the case in both India and Palestine, but more so in Palestine. Once I took a photo of one kid, I had to take a photo of every kid… multiple times! It’s a lot of fun but the mob can be overwhelming. More than once in Palestine I needed help restraining the mob of children all eager to smile for the camera. Be prepared!

Also, a good idea might be to pack a small, cheap point-and-shoot and have it available. There were a few times that I would take a few photos of some kids, show them the photo on the LCD, and then they would want to take the camera and take a photo of me. While I appreciate the gesture and I loved the kids, I wasn’t quite ready to hand over $5,000 worth of equipment to a mob of excited eight year-olds. So, bring a point-and-shoot that you can afford to lose if it’s dropped. They’ll love taking photos with it!

Conclusion

Ultimately, there is no clear guide to photographing strangers in a foreign country. Your goal is to balance the need to respect the local people and the need to be a photographer. You’ll find that, in most situations, a little common sense, self-awareness, and cultural sensitivity can go a long way to getting you the shot you want without causing an international incident.

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