ETHICAL TRAVELLER: Catherine Mackon holiday photos
I WENT THROUGH a phase of not bringing my camera on holiday, and it was strangely liberating. Then I succumbed and brought it on a recent trip to Morocco, where I travelled with a group of women on a rug-weaving holiday.
For the first couple of days we acclimatised in the Marrakesh markets, the olive groves of the surrounding plains and the fishing port of Essaouira. I was like a child let loose in a sweet shop after Lent. Like some sort of maniac I snapped and snapped, desperate to record the colours.
Then we went to the Berber village where we were to work for a week. The weavers were open and welcoming, offering hugs, smiles and copious amounts of fruit and tea when we arrived, and I knew it was time to put the camera away until it was acceptable to use it.
But a fellow traveller pounced with long lenses and flashes before even taking a seat or shaking a hand. I was mortified. Luckily, the Berber women were not upset at all, as they were used to receiving visitors. But, out and about, shepherds and stallholders were less keen to have a minibus stop, unload its shooting team, take aim and drive off again. Our guide was careful to negotiate with people before we snapped them.
This didn't stop the usual suspect sticking her lens out of the window to take potshots. Many people shook their fists or hid their faces. Despite all our requests to stop, she insisted she was doing no harm. For her, the people were just another tourist attraction.
It's just common sense, of course, but if you are keen to take close-ups of local people, ask their permission - preferably in their language.
Another co-traveller brought a mini-printer with her. Plugging it into the cigarette lighter, she printed shots along the way, giving them to people she met. Other cultures are happy to accept payment for a shot. I took names and addresses of people who agreed to be snapped, then sent copies back to them.
Wildlife photography is also a big issue. If on safari it is always good to check your tour company's policies. Some driver guides will do anything to get the right shot, such as driving through the bush to chase out lion cubs, grabbing animals' tails to keep them in position, letting visitors out of jeeps to get close-ups and overcrowding animals with too many vehicles. See www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk for details of good practice.
If you are buying postcards abroad, think about the photographers. Postcard shots are rarely taken by locals, so look for galleries or shops with photographs by local artists. Majority World (www.majority world.org) was set up with this in mind. It trains and promotes photographers from what it terms Majority World countries, more commonly known as the developing world or Third World.
This is what I call an inspired commonsense approach. That is all it takes, after all, to get the right and fair shot.
macktourism@yahoo.co.uk