travel photography

As A Travel Photographer, How Do You Connect With People?

April 29, 2020 by Greg Thomason

Being The Calm Travel Photographer

I had the Maasai warrior posed right where I wanted him. He looked strong and confident as he stood on a rock, with the Kenyan grasslands spread out behind him. I made an environmental portrait. It was time for my bread and butter, the close-up portrait.

As I exchanged cameras in my shoulder bag, the camera with the 24-70mm lens slipped from my grasp. The warrior and I watched as it hit a rock, bounced off, and struck another. I picked it up and did a quick check.

Both camera and lens were down for the count. I hid the shock I felt, put it away, and went with my second body and a 70-200mm lens. He looked at me and asked, “aren't you worried about your camera?” I replied, “of course I am. However, this is the only time I will ever have you in front of my camera. The broken one will wait.”

He gave a sly smile, and we made some memorable portraits.

Later, the young warrior approached me and asked if he could give me a Maasai name. The warriors named me “Malubo” and explained it meant I was “the calm one.”

Following the incident, the portraits I made had a more reliable connection. They knew I respected my time there, and our bond became like a chain connecting us. I may not always stay calm, but I will forever cherish the name, and the time spent with the Maasai.

Connecting With People

As a headshot and portrait photographer, I know how important a connection with your subject can be. Often, the relationship is what makes the difference in a technically sound DMV photo, and a photograph with meaningful expression.

Developing a quick relationship with my subjects in the studio has made me better at connecting with people as a travel photographer. However, if you don't photograph people as often, you can still practice.

Make portraits of friends, and practice getting them comfortable in front of your camera. Then go to a busy area in your town or city and approach a few interesting people for a candid shot. I have found if you can approach someone in your town, you certainly can when you are the tourist.

Do You Change The Scene?

I hear travel photographers say they don't want to affect the scene. That's ok for them, but I welcome the interaction. My feeling is that we already change the scene with our presence. Human nature is almost universal. Social norms and culture can influence actions, but human desires are always present. Humans want to be respected and acknowledged.

There are few times a photographer has little or no effect on the subject. One is when the subject doesn’t know the photographer is present.

Other times are when the subject is distracted by intense concentration, such as war or sporting events. I believe almost every time the photographer changes the scene just by being there. That goes for news, documentary, and travel photographers.

© Greg Thomason | https://gregthomason.com

A Few Examples

Does the protestor become more emboldened by the press on-site?
Does the researcher become more self-conscious by the subject's presence?
Does the woman in the market hold herself differently at the presence of the travel photographer?

I believe the answer is almost always yes. That is not to say the subject's behavior is radically influenced, but it is. If we photographers affect the scene, why not do it positively, both for those we photograph and for ourselves? How do we do this as a travel photographer?

Add A Little Humanity

First, treat everyone as a human worth your time. Remember, your subject is a person, not a zoo animal. Acknowledge them with a wave, head nod, or greeting. A common language is not required.

Learn The Language

Speaking of language, learn a few words in your subject's native tongue, even if most speak your language as well. This approach helped with some kidding around when I told a Samburu warrior to look brave, like a lion. We had already been joking around, so he cracked up laughing when I took the photo, looked at the back of the camera, and told him in the Samburu dialect of Maa he looked like a warthog.

Do things to endear you to your subjects. Language and respect go a long way here. However, in the right context joking around can bring you closer. I have attempted to sing along with Samburu tribesmen. I won't be winning any singing awards, but the tribesmen asked me to come back and camp in the village. Be vulnerable; after all, you are expecting your subjects to be.

Know The Social Norms

Of course, research is essential, as it is with any photography. You must know the laws, as well as the social norms, of the locations you visit. Know whether or not certain hand motions are offensive. Look into what extended eye contact may mean. Look into how to greet, and act around, the opposite sex.

Especially in cities, make sure you know what might be off-limits to photograph. I thought I did but ended up getting detained in N'Djamena, Chad, when I took photos in a crowded market. That's another story, but it all turned out ok.

Pay attention to how the locals greet and act around each other. How do they stand? If they stand inside the personal space you are used to having, be prepared. Hugs and kisses are standard in some places. In others, hugs are solely for same-sex greetings only. Know the norms and be ready for them.

Respect People's Wishes

Expect many people to say no when asked if you may take their photo. I haven't run into a situation yet where getting the photograph was worth not respecting the person's wishes (I'm not a journalist, so missing a shot doesn't impact me negatively). Show respect and patience, and you may be rewarded with travel portraits that reflect a special connection with your subjects.

As a travel photographer, these connections make the difference between a snapshot that documents where you went and a photograph that reflects a human connection worthy of a place on your wall!

Is travel photography your calling?

Old Souls & Timeless Places, Bob Krist’s Spectacular Book

February 4, 2020 by Seshu | Editor & Publisher

Who is Bob Krist?

Bob Krist is a renowned travel photographer and videographer who has photographed for 40+ years and traveled to 150 countries.

In early December 2019, Krist released his 12th book, “Old Souls & Timeless Places.” And, yes, as the headline of this blog post states, it is spectacular.

Printed at Brilliant Graphics, the attention to detail in producing this all black & white book is astounding. If you have ever used black & white film and printed from a negative, the photographs in “Old Souls & Timeless Places” will be nostalgic. So, this book a must-have in my collection and I hope you will consider it as well.

Cover to cover, you are gently stopped to take it all in, and there is a lot to absorb in this semi-retrospective of Bob Krist's work. You can study the way the photographs are composed. The way the photographs – portraits interspersed with landscapes – makes one think that indeed we are not separate from nature, but definitely part of it. At least, that's how I am “reading” the book, “Old Souls & Timeless Places.”

The Interview with Bob Krist

I had the pleasure of speaking with Bob Krist about the book right before the Christmas holidays. If I do come off as a bit gushing in sections of the podcast, it's because of two things:

One, Bob Krist is a hero of mine. For years, I followed his work and fantasized photographing and writing about my travels as Bob has done over the years. And, two, the quality of this publication is truly remarkable. There is something special about holding a book with a set of photographs that were all created with intent, love and great care.

The Images Discussed In The Interview

These are the photographs we discussed in the interview. This is such a small sample of the wonderful photographs you have access to when you buy the book, “Old Souls & Timeless Places.” Proceeds from the book's sale benefit the Jonathan Krist Foundation, named in memory of Krist’s son, who passed away 12 years ago.

On a tangent, I interviewed Elizabeth Krist, Bob's sister-in-law, some years ago. Since leaving National Geographic magazine, Elizabeth has joined hands with some amazing visual communicators to start The Visual Thinking Collective.

The Value Of Honesty

May 15, 2012 by Brian Hirschy

Today's guest post is by Brian Hirschy, a photographer & designer living in the Tibetan regions of western China who has a passion for teaching photography, participating in the growing photographic community and working with Asian NGO's to communicate their stories. In 2009 Brian helped start Plateau Photo Tours, a company that facilitates socially-conscious one-of-a-kind photo tours throughout Tibet – providing socially responsible and culturally non-destructive photo opportunities throughout the region as well as creating sustainable job opportunities – all in an effort to actually help rather than simply complain. You can see Brian's work at BrianHirschy.com or follow him on Twitter @BHirschyPhoto.

Last week, I ran across a video of my friend Zack Arias talking about the need for honesty and perspective as photographers (check it out there). It was a refreshing conversation about honesty and stood in stark contrast to often unhelpful conversations that we constantly see in this industry. Zack's video was a punch in the gut, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about what Zack said since.

I've spent the last three years working as a photographer in western China. In 2009, I started a company called Plateau Photo Tours with a desire to engage the Chinese photographic market by running culturally appropriate, unique photo workshops in the Tibetan areas of western China. I wanted to live somewhere that pushed me as a person and as a photographer. Having traveled these areas extensively for the better part of a decade, living here continues to be a fantastic experience.

But there's so much more to the story than that.

Here's some honesty: Over the last three years, I've spent a disproportionately large amount of time schmoozing Chinese officials for permission to keep working in this area—largely for no return. There's nothing like kissing butt for no reason. Since starting the company, we've had to call off five tours. I've watched our filled tours (of great participants) get cancelled due to political and social stresses, as well as a devastating natural disaster. I've seen what I thought were amazing opportunities pass just out of reach. Recently, I've been banned for months at a time from exiting the city in which I currently live. I've been followed around by plain- clothed police officers — an interesting experience. The local government constantly tells me where I can and cannot takemy camera and where my “foreign face” isn't welcome despite having official government permission. I've dealt with all sorts of political and social insanity just to keep a company afloat in a tough and variable market.

Here's some more honesty: I've made more money as a web and print designer and consultant over the last year than I've made as a photographer. I'd love for every person who visits my website to think that I'm making it entirely with my photography. But I'm not. I've relied largely on my gracious wife's job for parts of our income. I'd love for you not to know that. Depression, questions of identity, future, and my photographic ability have started to steal more and more of my thoughts and sleep. I'd love for you guys to think that I'm bursting from the seams with confidence.

This is not a pity party, and this is not a rant. Above all, I'm certainly not unique.

It's hard. No matter where we are in our careers, it's going to be hard. It should be hard. If it's not hard, you're in that dangerous place of not pushing far enough or hard enough. Or maybe you're in the wrong industry. Maybe you?ve set your goals too low.

The more I hear photographers get real with each other, the more I'm happy to discover what I already suspected: I'm not the only one fighting fights and getting black eyes in this industry. The black eyes I get from running a business in western China are just as painful and just as real as the ones everyone else is getting—despite where they are in their careers or what part of the world they live in. You deal with bridezilla, and I deal with drunken Chinese officials. By my count, we are even. It's hard to run a business—let alone one that is focused on photography. It's hard to be an entrepreneur in a service industry. It's hard for me. It's hard for everyone.

The point is this: We should want to learn from others? black eyes. We should learn from each other?s hard times—learn how to dodge the pesky left hooks of the industry. We should try and help the young and upcoming photographer become the best he or she can be and avoid what pain can along the way. But for some reason, we as an industry are so busy trying to convince everyone else that it was easy, that there were no hard times, and that the black eyes simply don't hurt. Maybe we want everyone to think we are special, naturally talented, smarter than the rest—so much so that we managed to navigate the minefield of this harsh industry with perfection and ease. And now everyone else needs to pay attention to us. Hell, some of us have it so figured out that we've formulated the industry into a “top ten list.”

It wears on me, this façade. It's tiring because not only have I been a willing participant, but also because I see hundreds of other photographers daily pushing something that isn't real, something that isn't personal, and mostly something that just isn't at it's core fully honest.

Maybe more honesty in our industry would result in fewer stretched families, fewer people going into debt because they were convinced they had to have some product in order to compete, fewer tired and burnt out photographers trying to keep up their image. Maybe honesty just makes for better stories. Maybe we'd actually spend more time shooting (remember, that thing we all profess to love so much?) now that we are, finally, allowed to be who we really are and where we really are in the industry.

I'm talking about more honesty in ourselves as photographers — more perspective on where we are in our photographic journeys and more willingness to share the successes with the failures. I've personally found that the more honest I am with myself, the more capable I am of falling in love with what I do. After all, that's really the point – loving what we do.

This article is the culmination of thoughts brought on by Zack?s amazing video (Kudos to Zack, Atlanta Creative Mornings, and Matchstic for producing it). If you haven?t watched Zack?s video, I strongly suggest you carve some time out to do so (here). These are simply my very personal and honest gut reactions to something that I?ve seen in myself for quite some time and something that I?ve seen more and more photographers bring up – it?s not meant to be a rant, an angry fist in the air, or a bemoaning of the self- promoting nature of the photographic industry. Zack says this infinitely better than I do and deserves credit for raising this subject in my mind and beyond that, being one of the most honest, generous, and gracious voices in the industry.

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Is Travel Photography Your Calling?

September 30, 2010 by Guest

This blog post is by Taiwain-based culture & travel photographer Craig Ferguson. You should follow him on Twitter.

One step forward and two steps back seems to be the pattern for a lot of photographers lately, particularly in the area of cultural travel photography. Falling editorial rates and increased competition make things tougher for all. For me personally, potentially beneficial long-term opportunities in the world of travel photography have recently opened up (one step forward) but at the cost of tougher times in the short-term (two steps back).

Choosing to forgo immediate gain in order to focus on the medium and longer term future isn't always easy. I recently sent off the last of a series of photographs to a publisher. It's unlikely that I'll see any licensing fees from this until 2011 at the earliest, even though putting it all together took the best part of the summer. Other than a couple of small and quick portrait shoots and a little bit of editorial travel photography for a regional magazine, the past couple of months have been lean. In the long run, it will be worth it but that doesn't necessarily make it easier to stomach now.

2010 was always going to be a year of major transition for me as I move my photography business away from the general and into a much more specialized direction. That transition is still ongoing and becomes frustrating at times, as the bulk of my time is now spent in front of a computer rather than behind a lens. This recent project was a vital step in that process but it was only a step. Completing one major task would, in a perfect world, be cause for celebration and signify time to take a break. In reality though, it's just another box to tick and task to cross off the list. Almost as soon as the DVD's full of photographs were dropped off at Fedex, it was back to the grindstone. Seeking out, researching and reaching out to new potential clients. A day full of crafting individualized, cold email introductions to a market that is not covered by Agency Access and the like. When that day is over, I end up with a stack of further possibilities for the future to investigate and approach. It's not a task for the impatient but at the same time, it's a task that must be done sooner rather than later.

So why do it? Why not take travel photos for fun and work in something else, something that provides a regular salary? I know plenty of photographers who have done just that. They work a full time, salaried job and save photography for the weekends. For some people, that's the best thing to do. Not for me however. Why? It's quite simple.

I am a photographer. More accurately, I am a cultural travel photographer. It's what I do. It's who I am. It gives me more than I could ever hope to repay. It's a passion. I have no choice. I can't not do it.

Short term pain may well be necessary for long term gain, and if that is the case, then so be it. Photography is a calling and when you've been called, you have no other options.