Travel Forum

I am wondering how people handle photographing people, especially in foreign countries. In China for example, many older people do not like to have their photograph taken since they believe that it takes away their soul. Of course it is important to respect peoples wishes, but do you normally try to catch a candid photo, are you blatant about it, or do you ask first? If its the latter how do you get around the language barrier?

Photographing people is always a touchy subject and one I think many people feel uncomfortable about.

I will usually ask first, and if they say no, I respect that, and will not try to take a candid shot. Pointing at my camera and then at them usually gets around the language barrier. A little prior interaction usually helps the subject to relax.

I will also sometimes take candid shots, usually in crowded situations like markets where people don't actually notice the camera. A long zoom lens helps, as does a digital camera. But I will not do it if I am in an area where I know people are concerned about their sole being taken away through photography.

Grete

Hi, like Grets, I usually ask first, and respect their wishes if they decline. I also use a long lens for markets, street scenes etc.
If I want to take a photo of a stallholder etc I'll usually buy something first, then ask.
In East Turkey, I was quite aware that people would perhaps be reluctant. However, In one town I was carefully trying to avoid pointing my camera at a group of women and girls who were sitting near a statue that I was trying to photograph. One of the group approached and asked if I would take their picture! I spent a happy few minutes chatting with them, and got some lovely pics, which they asked if i'd send them a copy. Some boys nearby then asked if I'd take their pic, an hour later, I think I'd taken shots of most of the towns inhabitants, who were queuing up with scraps of paper with their addresses on. Tip...write a description next to their address so you can remember who the pics were of. eg boy blue jumper.

The only person that appeared to be unhappy, was the official photographer, who I later spotted, who'd been charging for taking photos..oooops! There had been a big parade there and he was there to cover this and take photos of families etc.

It cost me quite a bit to have extra prints made, and postage, but it was worth it, as I have some nice photos and happy memories of time spent chatting with these people, some of the children wrote back afterwards, and one young boy I wrote to for quite a while, he was learning english at school, and later wrote to say he was now top of his class.

In Harran, a lady asked for bakseesh (tip) for taking her pic. Recently in India (Kovalam) I was asked for money for taking pics of coconut pickers and fruit sellers. Some fellow travellers said that they'd had a bad time on a previous trip, with people quite aggresively demanding money.

As has been mentioned, sometimes it just takes a catalyst to create the desire, or not mind pictures being taken.
My parents were in China soon after it opened its doors to foreigners, and went on a tour to some areas that had very likely never seen many caucasians. One thing my father had done before leaving Canada was to go up to Gravenhurst, Ontario to the homestead of Norman Bethune, (the doctor who had done a lot of good in China in the 1920s( I think), and was very well known and revered in China), and got some pamphlets written in Chinese to take with him. He put one in his shirt pocket, with Bethune's picture and heading showing. Seeing that picture seemed to make many of the Chinese willing to have their picture taken. This was also the start of the one child per family rule, and he carried a polaroid camera as well as his 35mm camera. He would ask to take a picture of the little ones, of whom the family were so proud, and would first take a polaroid shot, and give that to the family, and then take a 35mm picture for his own records and memories. My favourite picture he took was in the middle of a crowd of young people, an elderly man looking in fascination at the polaroid picture of himself.

Not everybody wants their picture taken.

I remember waterthrowing Peruvian women along the trainstop at Juliaca.
Even the Amsterdam hookers in the Red Light Districts will chase you with water.
Not to mention secret service agents (or picture taking of military objects in some countries).

Well a handsome zoom lens (up to 400 mm) can do the trick, but you have to go semi-professional for that.

My advice is to try to get into small talk and just ask. First let them take a picture of you; the rest is pretty simple.

PJ