Shoot First, Ask Afterwards

In some situations you will find yourself in a quandary as to whether it is permissible to take pictures or not. This will vary from country to country and city to city; there is no ‘one for all’ rule.

Places

For example, you enter a university/church/museum, etc. and look around for signs barring photography but cannot see any. What do you do? Simple, go to the position where the best shot will be, set the camera, wait for the right moment then shoot. Someone may then come up and tell you photographs are not allowed, so apologize and move on. Most times denial of permission from an authority seems to be so that the local venue can sell postcards, not for any copyright reasons.

In Kyoto, Japan recently I paid the entrance fee into a temple that housed a number of Buddhas, and it was only when I got inside that I found ‘No Photographs’ signs on display. So I went and asked for my money back pointing out to the ticket booth agent that there were photos of the Buddhas on the ticket itself, seeming to imply that photography was allowed. They made no fuss and returned my money.

People

When it comes to people this is even more of a minefield, as some will expect payment if you take their photo. Generally I am against this as it sets a precedent for those that follow on afterwards. In very poor countries, though, you have to make an even tougher judgement, as what you 'tip' a group of people in a village, for instance, might feed them for a week.

In Merida in the Venezuelan Andes, I hired a car with a driver for a day (it’s easier to take pictures if someone else is driving) and he took me to a village and then negotiated the way into a farmer’s house where the family was all around. I was asked to give something to the folks in return, and I had no hesitation in this instance because they were actually helping me to take pictures by allowing me to pose them.

In another instance a colleague of mine was in North Africa, and wanted to take a series of pictures of the people in a small village. They were reluctant until he offered $50, then they posed happily for a couple of hours. The photographer easily recuped the $50 later, after the sale of one photo.

This is a constant enigma for any travel photographer, so be prepared in advance about your plan to react when it happens to you, as it surely will!

Jeremy Hoare is a freelance travel photographer residing in London, England. Phone/Fax: +44 20 7722 2065. Email: jeremyhoare@hotmail.com. Web: www.travelwriters.com/jeremyhoare