On Travel, Photography
A few months ago, a friend travelled to Africa for six weeks; It was his first time out of the country. While I’m no expert in travel, at the age of 22, I’ve lived in three continents, growing up in Sydney, London and New York City. I’ve also lived in Wisconsin, Connecticut, upstate New York, Oregon and Colorado. I’ve traveled extensively throughout Africa and Europe, and have spent time in China and central America, so I thought I might try and give him some advice. Portions of my letter to him are included below.
…Hopefully, everything I am going to say to you would already come naturally to you, and that you shouldn’t need to hear it. Nonetheless.
Obviously: Don’t be the loud American. Our country supplies the world with its tourists and we have made a terrible name for ourselves. Don’t contribute to this. Keep your voice down (we speak very loudly compared to the rest of the world), listen and learn. I’ve realized you learn absolutely nothing from hearing your own voice. Traveling is about experiencing other cultures and learning about them, so in my humble opinion, it is best to travel very quietly while keeping your eyes open. Ask questions and listen, don’t try to teach.
Be discrete with your camera. You are there to capture moments and to work as a photographer, but don’t forget your gear is worth more than many of your subjects will earn in 5 years, 10 years, their entire lifetime. You want to be respectful, subtle and quiet with your work. You aren’t there to be a superstar with a camera – you’re there to disappear into backgrounds, become a fly on the wall, observe, learn and experience their lives. You aren’t there to add a little bit of America to every scene you walk into, you are there to learn what other people’s lives are like, their struggles, hardships and joys.
Whether you like it or not, the people you interact with will impact your life far more than you will ever impact theirs. You will walk away from this trip with a greater understanding of the world, and better knowledge of how life and business and economies and humans and love and pain operate around the world. Be willing to be humbled by all of this. The more time I spend traveling and working in journalism, the more I have realized, both of these professions are about being humbled. They’re about walking into people’s lives and learning, changing your world view, recognizing how blessed we are and humbling ourselves to respect the different ways people choose and are forced to live life.
Take appropriate risks. Order a meal from a menu without looking at the english translation of what you are ordering. Try to shock and surprise yourself, walk down a dark alley when it feels right and you can tell something might make it worth it. Ask a local about where the best place to grab a drink or meal is. The best times are when you break away from the increasingly large tourist industry and you find the dingy local joints.
Keep your gear covered up. Bruce (my photo prof) tells horror stories (I haven’t had any happen to me yet) of men on motorcycles following people from the airport and mugging them at a stoplight, while still in their taxi, after the motorcycle men saw a rolex on the travelers wrist in the airport. You are white. You will be watched. You will be noticed. Be aware of this.
Travel light: the U.S. is one of the few countries that washes their clothing after wearing it only once. Push yourself to go days in the same outfit. You’ll smell more like the locals as opposed to a chemical daisy. Plus your pack will be lighter, and you’ll have less shit hanging off you that can get noticed and/or stolen.
Be mindful of how safe or un-safe your hotel/compound/apartment is. You need back-up-plans if shit hits the fan and your laptop or camera is stolen, if your external crashes, if your passport is taken. A lot of this turns into fly-by-the-seat situations, but it’s good to be mentally prepared if anything does happen
Finally, don’t walk around like a scared and nervous-nilly. The world isn’t out to get you, and most people are good, happy people who want to talk to you and help you out. Smile, be nice, don’t be confrontational, go with the flow, be a defuser of confrontation, not an aggressor. But like I said, in the back of your mind, be mindful of everyone, have eyes in the back of your head, sit with your back against walls, with your eyes on the door of any room you walk into.
I hope you have the greatest time. I hope this is the start of your international photography career. I hope we both make it to Nat. Geo. (because it will still be around in 20 years, hah!) and we live lives full of champagne and beautiful women (hah!). Keep your chin up. – Andrew