OVERLAND JOURNAL FALL 2019125PHOTOGRAPHY GRAEME GREEN
Y
ears ago,in Punakha Dzongin Bhutan,I sawa horde
oftouristssurrounda young Bhutanese woman.Inthe
courtyard ofthe monastery,theypushed theircameras,smart-
phones,andiPadsclosetoherface,snappingaway.Thewoman,
trappedinsidethecirclelikea moviestarcaught by the paparazzi,
lookedanxious,bewildered,and deeply
uncomfortable.
Photographerscallthis theHuman
Zoo, where amateurs or tourists with
camerastreatlocalpeopleasexoticcrea-
turestogawpatandphotograph,rather
than real humans with real feelings.
Thereareworthwhiledebates,especially
online,discussingphotographyofpeople
andcultures and whether it isrespect-
ful or helpful or instead exploitative.
That isn’t something I planto go into
toomuchdetailonhere,buttheHuman
Zoois obviouslythewrongwaytogo.
Fora start,it makesforterriblepho-
tos. I can guarantee that when those
tourists got their pictures home and
scanned through them, the girl’s eyes
would have been nervously glancing
around at thecrowd,her face clouded
withanexpressionofconfusionorfear.
Thosephotos were probably deleted or
flickedpastwiththesamesmallamount
ofthoughtwithwhichtheyweretaken.
Moreimportantly,it’snotrighttotreatanotherpersonasjust
a curiosityfora picture.There’sno“hello”inthis method—no
handshake,smile,orinteraction.It’sjust a quick,selfishclickof
theshutter.Forthepersonontheothersideofthelens,thisex-
perienceis likelyto leave them feeling used, taken for granted, or
dehumanised.GETENGAGED
Behaviour like this also misses the point of photography,
whichis totella story.Inordertoproducea uniquetakeona
subject,whether it’sa place or a culture,you’llneed tolearn a
bitaboutit first.Spendtimewithpeople—talking,listening,and
askingquestions.Yourimageswillthenreflecteverythingyou’ve
soakedup andthoughtabout.Thatprocess is oneof themost
rewardingpartsofbeinga photographer.
It wasnevermyinclinationto goandtalkto strangersin foreign
countries.Butphotographyopensupnewworlds.Overthelast 15
years,I’vetravelledfromremotevillagesin theEthiopianhighlands
tothefavelasofBrazil,exploringplacesandmeetingpeoplefrom
completelydifferentculturestomyown.Withouta camera,those
encounterswouldneverhavehappened.Photographycanbring
aboutsomeof themostmemorableexperiencesin life,giving you a
deeper appreciation of the world and the people in it.A guideto capturingimagesof cultures
around the world with creativity and respect.Photographing People
A musicianplaysa traditionalthree-
stringedguinbrion the backstreets
of Marrakesh, Morocco.