All that AND a bag of chips! Traveling as a photographer, with your
photography equipment in evidence, presents its own sets of
challenges when it comes your personal safety and comfort. Carrying
such equipment singles you out as someone who is not necessarily from
the area, potentially making you a target for tourist fraud or theft.
And not knowing the etiquette or rules of taking photographs in some
places can lead you into dangerous situations or brushes with the
law. Even not taking the right equipment can spoil an otherwise great
travel experience.
Traveling as a photographer requires some forethought and planning, as
well as knowing the possible pitfalls. In this article, you'll learn
how to keep safe, well-organized, and knowledgeable as you travel with
your camera.
!! Steps !!
This is *not* traveling light! Get insurance coverage for your
photography equipment. Check whether or not your travel insurance
covers your photography equipment. If not, seek additional insurance.
It's never possible to know whether or not your equipment is safe –
it might be stolen, lost, or broken at any part of your journey.
Knowing that you're properly covered in the event of any of these
things happening will ease the pain of losing your equipment a
little. More importantly, knowing you've got insurance can also stop
you from reacting in a foolhardy fashion and trying to defend your
equipment if you're mugged.
* Type up a list of every photography item you're taking with you.
Keep a copy in your email draft folder or in cloud storage, a
printed copy with someone trusted back home and several printed
copies on you in different places, such as your handbag and
suitcase. These lists will help you to identify stolen or lost
property quickly.
Have everything in order with your papers. Carrying a camera can
sometimes raise a suspicion that you're a photo journalist or
someone trying to document suspicious activities, and that can cause
paranoid guards or police to be wary of you.
* Make sure that your passport is up-to-date with at least 6 months
on it before expiry.
* Get all necessary visas prior to travel.
Hmmm...wonder if they still use this?! Have all of your vaccinations
before leaving, and be sure to include proofs in your papers.
Take the right photography gear with you. In some countries, you
might not be able to just "pick up" things you forgot to bring, or
there may be issues of compatibility or affordability involved. On
the other hand, you don't want to overload yourself with
non-essential gear. Plan in advance to be sure that you have each
piece of photography equipment that you know you'll actually need,
as well as any suitable spares but no more. Some suggestions to
consider include:
* Different kinds of converters Carry all suitable
plug-ins and converters for the destinations you're headed for. If
you're going to be in multiple countries, check online what you
might need.
* Portable hard drive Carry a small, portable and durable
external hard drive. Some countries may not allow you to carry
your computer with you and you will want a place to store your
photographs safely. (Try to find out this information in advance.)
* Take the right type of camera for the type of trip you're taking.
If you'll be snorkeling or diving, use a camera able to withstand
being in water; same for wet jungle expeditions. If you're going
somewhere very hot or cold, take the climatic conditions into
account when deciding on the camera type. Remember that batteries
won't work well, if at all, in many extreme weather temperatures,
so you might need work-arounds.
* Be sure to pack your photography equipment correctly to avoid
damage. This isn't only for during transportation but also when
you're carrying it. Use straps if provided, especially if you
scare easily or get excited; it can be easy to drop a camera in a
moment of excitement at getting "just the right shot"!
* Invest in a travel tripod if you don't want to carry a larger one.
These are very compact and can improve the quality of your shots
considerably more than having nothing to lean on.
Just a bit obvious... Travel safe. Traveling with
photography equipment can set you apart as someone worth
robbing, begging from, or bothering. The following
safety ideas are aimed at reducing the chances of this
happening:
* Avoid carrying your equipment in well-known, labeled photography
bags. Thieves grow to know the sign of these very quickly and can
target you easily. Instead, try to ease your camera into an
ordinary bag, even if still encased in its proper bag. This is
more of a problem where there are lots of people and in countries,
cities, or areas with low trust issues.
* Travel with someone or as a group. When there is someone else with
you, they can keep an eye out for you while you're busy lost in
taking photos. They can also act as a deterrent to thieves or
muggers when it's obvious that you're part of a pair or group.
* Stay alert. Even though part of the fun of photography is to lose
yourself in seeing the beauty or the unusual around you, a
traveling photographer needs to be alert on two levels – the
first level is about staying alert for your safety, the second
level being looking for the ideal shot. Only after you're
reassured that you're safe should you take your photos.
* If you want to scout a place before taking photos, consider
leaving the photography equipment back at the hotel safe while you
do your check. That way, you can ponder and muse without having to
be quite so alert to the possibility of your equipment being
targeted.
* Look the part. Always act like you know what you're doing and
where you're headed, even if you don't. Being confident is a huge
part of being left alone by people looking for easy prey.
* If you have any suspicion at all that you're being followed,
immediately seek help. Stop in a shop, latch onto a group of
people, go into a restaurant, etc. Do whatever it takes to put the
person off. Once you are located somewhere safer, call the police
or friends to come and help you. Don't even think about taking out
your photography gear!
* Don't risk your life and limbs. Is that crazy shot really worth
dangling over the edge of the cliff or clambering out on a
tightrope wire? Be a sound judge of your physical limitations and
don't push them. Remember, you're holding equipment that you don't
want to drop, and if something does go wrong, the momentary
confusion between saving yourself or your equipment could be
enough to lose both of you. Just don't risk it.
Learn and respect the local laws and social customs. Knowledge of
local laws and customs can ensure that you don't put your foot in
it.
* Some cultures detest or fear being photographed because they fear
that the camera "steals their soul" (sympathetic magic or native
cultural belief).[1] Respect their beliefs even if you find it
foreign or backward to your way of thinking. Other people are
suffering from "tourist burnout"; they're frankly sick of people
taking their photos every which way and find it invasive or even
offensive. Always cease photographing any person who objects –
that's plain good manners. Read up on every culture you'll
encounter and want to photograph; that way you'll be able to avoid
distressing anybody.
* Avoid treating individual people as if they're part of the
backdrop or landscape. If you feel uncomfortable or arrogant in
taking photos, listen to your feelings.[2] Ask people if you can
take a photograph of them individually or at work, play, etc.
Consider how you would feel if somebody took photos of you without
asking for permission as you're trying to run your market stall,
or get on with your daily business. Not everybody appreciates the
limelight but some people will be incredibly honored and you might
even strike up a fruitful conversation, so it's always worth
asking first, as a bit of considerate socializing can oil the
wheels, so to speak. Another method for asking for permission
suggested by Darren Rowse is to gesture to the camera, smile, and
mime taking their photos with a quizzical look.[3] You'll usually
get an answer to this in affirmative because you bothered, but if
it's a no, respect that.
Be especially considerate when photographing children Be especially
considerate when photographing children as the close-up subjects of
your photo. It'd probably freak you out if someone drove up and took
photos of your kids playing on the front lawn. Keep this in mind when
taking shots of kids at play in their homes, and remember that for
some cultures, the fear of soul-stealing is greater in relation to
children, who are viewed as more fragile.[4] You don't want angry
parents tearing after you; seek to establish a relationship first
before taking photographic liberties.
* Sometimes it pays to pay. Not everyone agrees with this but think
about it: You've got the money, they've got the smile. Is this a
case of standing on your principles, or of throwing a bit of your
easy-earned cash to people living hard? Think it through
carefully. Not doing so might lead to conflict if there's a
general understanding in place that tourists cough up for photos.
If you don't like making a payment, carry small gifts from your
home country to appease people with, as suggested by Darren
Rowse.[5]
* Know the politics of a country before photographing anything that
can be construed as politically sensitive. If you're in France and
the students revolt, you're probably fine to take photos but if
you're in a repressive country and you try the same, you might
find yourself being rounded up by suspicious police. Use your
common sense at all times.
* Always obey signs that ask you not to take photographs. They mean
it. Religious establishments want you to respect their faith; law
enforcement and government agencies want you to respect their
government's idea of privacy and secrecy, from airports to nuclear
facilities; commercial entities worry about their copyrights,
trademarks, and confidentiality being breached; and places that
have animals worry about the animals being disturbed, scared, or
harmed by photography. There is usually a genuine reason behind
these requests and there will usually be an equally swift response
to you seeking to break their requests or laws. When you break an
actual law, you risk having your camera equipment being removed
from you and perhaps even being arrested. See "Tips" for examples
of the types of places and occasions to be careful about when
photographing.
Learn the basics of the language where you're traveling. Knowing
some basic words goes a long way to being a polite photographer and
will increase your chances of people agreeing to being photographed,
or letting their home or artworks, etc., be photographed.
* Carry a phrasebook with you at all times. One that fits in your
camera bag is a good idea.
* Try to learn the basic words for the area of photography that
interests you most. For example, if you love photographing craft
created by native peoples, learn the words for the craft items,
such as baskets, clay pots, woven blankets, etc. If you love
nature, learn the words for native trees and animals, etc.
* Always learn please, thank you, "you're welcome", "please help
me", and "you're beautiful".
Flickr is a great way to keep your photos somewhere retrievable Do
regular photo back-ups. Do your best to try and offload your photo
collection as you travel, so that if something does go wrong, you
don't lose the entire collection. Some ideas include:
* Mail home memory cards regularly. Try to use registered mail for
this and pad really well. Send it to a family member or friend
rather than your lonely mail box back home.
* Download your photos onto a computer or other storage system if
you're carrying such.
* Upload photos to cloud storage. This can be paid or free, although
paid storage at this stage will likely be greater than free. If
you really can't afford to maintain one paid account, open
different accounts with different cloud storage sites to cover
your needs. You'll need to have good records of where you've left
them though, along with passwords and any decoy email accounts
you've set up for this purpose. Keep in mind that photo exchange
online can chew up your broadband allowance in some places and you
may be asked to pay more.
* Places experiencing conflict are dangerous for traveling
photographers Check travel advisories from your own country
before venturing into countries in strife or with domestic
problems. Wandering into strife-torn countries with a camera can
be asking for trouble, especially if you're mistaken for a
journalist.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* The following list suggests some places or occasions that, where
the country is not known to you, you would do best to either not
photograph, or to ask for permission to do so first: Airports,
military bases, nuclear power facilities, gaols, and
demonstrations (manifestations). Naturally, this list is very
country-dependent and you might be traveling somewhere that
doesn't care one bit; if so, you've made a great choice but if
not, be careful.
* Using your camera to keep tabs on receipts can be a useful way of
ensuring that you have a back-up in case receipts are lost while
traveling.
* Always keep emergency numbers on you. These should include your
embassy or consulate, your hotel, the local law enforcement
agencies, your family, and your airline. If you have friends or
friends of friends in a country, also have their phone numbers,
just in case.
* If you're an American citizen, be sure to check the US Department
of State (http://www.travel.state.gov) website for travel
advisories. For other countries, check your local foreign affairs
department or consulate websites for information relevant to your
citizenship and travel advisories from your country's perspective.
* US Dept. Travel Registration website If you're an
American citizen, prior to your departure, register with the
nearest embassy or consulate through the State Department
(https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ travel registration
website). Other countries might have the same registration system
in place; ask your local foreign affairs department for advice.
* If a country has vice police, be extra vigilant about what you
photograph. And be very careful if you're a woman; while you might
feel safe and respected at home, unfortunately, not all countries
carry the same level of respect and care for women, especially
where authorities consider that you are flouting expected
standards for women. Know the culture, know the rules, and know
the general limitations. Being open-minded about a culture does
not mean being blinded to its security or
authoritarian/totalitarian aspects.
!! Warnings !!
* On arrival back home, do your legality and cultural checks again
before uploading photos online. That delightful photo of a
building could have you breaching a trademark. There are some very
good sites online that will help you with the legal issues,
although the more restrictive commercial legal issues tend to
belong to developed countries rather than developing countries.
* If you intend to make a commercial profit from photographing
individuals, artwork, or specific sites that are trademarked, get
your lawyer's advice. For individuals, it is important to try and
get their written permission or even filmed agreement, rather than
assuming you've got the go ahead.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Suitable carrying bags
* Photography equipment, pared down to the essentials
* Visas, passport, etc.
* Vaccinations
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Take Better Travel Photographs
* How to Organize Your Digital Photos
* How to Travel With an iPod
* How to Sell Travel Photos
* How to Achieve Picture Perfect Shots Via Digital Photography
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
0 comments:
Post a Comment