Photos with Locals

by Colin Wright
on November 5th, 2011
1 Comment

You’re walking around your new digs — a relatively-clean hotel, or maybe a flat you’re renting for a few weeks near the center of town — and you see it.

The perfect photo opportunity.

You run up to the group of locals who make up the composition and lean in next to them, stretch out your arm to its full length and snap a photo with them. Or you hand off the camera to a friend or bystander and have them take the photo for you. Either way, you may have just stolen someone’s soul.

It may not seem that way to you, of course. Where you come from, it may be a compliment for someone to want to take a photo with you. It implies that you’re worth being seen with, and that showing up on Facebook together can only be good for everyone’s social status. Win-win. Snap away.

When you’re overseas, however, you may want to take a few things into consideration before you start shooting willy-nilly, especially if you’re looking to avoid offending locals and potentially breaking laws. There are all kinds of laws (governmental and religious), social norms and local taboos that could get in the way of your most elegant compositions, and knowing this, it’s important that you always ask before photographing anyone, anywhere.

Some important things to know:

In some cities, photography is frowned upon in public spaces, or in anything that could be construed as a shopping in environment. In Kolkata, India, for example, you’d be hard-pressed to find a mall that isn’t plastered with ‘No Photography’ signs, which includes the food courts, stores and spaces in between. Rush into a group photo at one of these malls, and you’re likely to find yourself kicked out and/or banned.
In some cultures, having your photo taken is inappropriate, or even sacrilegious. The Amish, for example, adhere to a religion that prohibits ‘graven images,’ and so photographing them is considered a big no-no. Muslims have a similar adherence, though theirs generally manifests within their holy buildings, like mosques. As a result, it’s a very good idea to ask before you photograph people, as doing so may unintentionally offend their faith, which definitely won’t make you any new friends.
Some groups have cultural taboos related to photography that involves pregnancy, sickness or the recently deceased. The Aboriginals of Africa, for example, consider it a big faux pas to view photos of the recently dead, lest those still alive should be met with a great deal of pain from the recent passing. The Akha of Thailand, on the other hand, fear that if a photo is taken of a pregnant woman, the spirit of the child will be attached to the photo (which would obviously not be ideal).
There are some cases in which it’s wildly inappropriate to photograph certain members of society. In Arabic countries, for example, it could be quite dangerous to your health to photograph a woman. In many countries, it’s illegal to photograph anyone involved with the military or government, and in some cases religious duties, as well.
It’s important to remember, too, that sometimes you just don’t want to be photographed, especially by a stranger. Unless you’re a celebrity or have dramatic hair or tattoos, it’s unlikely you get frequent requests from passersby to be photographed with you, so that concept of someone you don’t know wanting to come up and pose with you for a photo (that they’re going to do who-knows-what with) is an uncomfortable proposition. Maybe you’re not feeling well that day, or maybe your train of thought was interrupted by them coming up to you with their camera and unfamiliar language.

Whatever the case may be, it’s a good idea to ask permission before you start photographing someone, or photographing yourself with someone. Make a habit of this and you shouldn’t have any trouble. Be friendly and understanding if someone tells you ‘no,’ as well. It may be tempting to snap a shot of them anywhere and then run away, but be respectful to locals and they will be respectful to you; do otherwise, and don’t be surprised if they do otherwise, as well.

Not only will it help you avoid potentially ruining someone’s day (or defiling them in some way), but it’s also just a sign of respect that one civilized person gives to another civilized person. You wouldn’t walk up to them and take their wallet, and you shouldn’t walk up to them and take their image.

Colin Wright

Colin Wright is a minimalist, branding expert and serial entrepreneur. While running his blog Exile Lifestyle ,his branding studio Colin Is My Name and his e-publishing business ebookling. Colin travels the world (moving to a new country every 4 months), meeting up with amazing people, giving talks (to audiences ranging from tech industry professionals to college students to Catholic school girls) and hunting down new and interesting experiences.