Steve Manley has travelled a lot over the years and he has some magnificent photos to show for it. But going through his photos is a bittersweet experience for the Toronto-based art director and designer.
He admits that, occasionally, he acted like "a dope" in his "zeal to get a shot" and ended up embarrassing someone or making someone angry. "Even though I got a good shot," he says, "every time I look at it, I twinge. So it simply wasn't worth it."
Therein lies the challenge of taking good travel photos. We all want that magical shot that encapsulates our trip — the woman selling wares in the market, the child in traditional dress, the toothless fishermen grinning from ear and ear — the shot that transports us back to where we're once again smelling the smells, listening to the language and drinking in the sights. What we don't want are stiff, "posed" shots that simply magnify the gulf between photographer and subject.
As Manley points out, getting that perfect image isn't just about a photo. Taking pictures is a give and take, a relationship between photographer and subject. A good shot is a culturally sensitive one — one that enriches you and your subject for the experience. How can the average amateur get such a shot? The editors at National Geographic note that "you should leave viewers feeling that they know the subjects — not only what they look like, but also how they live, what their attitudes are." And the only way to do that is to find out yourself.
Jim Kane agrees. Kane is a passionate photographer and founder of Philadelphia-based Culturexplorers, which runs trips to Latin America promoting interaction between travellers and locals. To him, "photography is a wonderful tool to allow me to get closer to people. It allows me to be bold without being disrespectful."
Kane admits that "sometimes they'll stiffen and strike a formal pose," but he points to his own experiences as proof that this practice works. He recalls the photo he has of Elisa, a Guatemalan woman whom he spotted one day attempting to hang a purple and white ribbon from her doorway in honour of the Semana Santa festivities. Compositionally, it was a lovely image, he says, so he quickly snapped a shot without her knowing.
But as he turned to walk away, he realized that she was unable to hang the ribbon from the height she wanted. He, much taller, asked in Spanish whether she would like some help. She accepted and they chatted while he undertook the task. Kane asked her permission to take a photo of her in her doorway and she agreed. "It was a much stronger image than it would have been," he says now, noting that a photograph isn't just what it depicts, but what it brings back to you. To him, it brings back a lovely memory of a special woman.
Manley agrees that asking is the first step toward getting a great shot. "Some of my best travel shots have come after asking," he says. "Like the whole series in Honduras in a market. After I asked one woman at a stall, everyone in every other stall wanted their photo taken and wanted to out-smile and out-pose their neighbour.
"Great fun," he recalls, "until I ran out of film."
But not all people are as willing to be photographed — and that needs to be respected. Manley reminds us that "you're taking pictures of human beings, not cultural artifacts or oddities." Some people are simply camera-shy, others have superstitions or cultural or religious beliefs that are inconsistent with being photographed. And some simply aren't in the mood.
"Put yourself in the shoes of the person you'd like to photograph," Manley says. "Imagine a tourist in your city, sticking a camera in your face. How would you react?"
Animals also often don't react well and, again, that also must be respected. "Be sensitive to their fears as well," Manley says. "Don't feed them, don't get too close to nests. Either use a telephoto [lens] or forgo the shot."
And don't go off paths, onto protected surfaces or into sensitive plants in order to get a shot — again, he says, use a telephoto.
And, he suggests, become accustomed to shooting without a flash. They're generally annoying.
Kane tries to keep such surreptitious shots to a minimum, insisting that part of photography is a "cultural exchange," but he notes that "it's not one-size-fits-all. As a photographer, you have a personality and that will dictate your shots."
One aspect that photographers — whether seasoned or neophyte — often find challenging is when a subject asks for money. While many refuse on principle, Kane asks, "Isn't a person you've photographed entitled to some form of compensation?" He suggests that "engaging people openly and sharing time, a story or a drink" can be meaningful for both photographer and subject.
Manley suggests offering the option of letting your subject take your photo, an arrangement that he has discovered "works great." He laughingly says there must be trust there, as it's "tough to tell the local policeman that someone decided not to give back the camera you handed to them."
In the end, taking memorable photographs is as much about inviting someone into your day as it is about inviting them into your viewfinder. And often what develops is much more than a great shot.
virtuous@globeandmail.com
