Photography Week - Tourists and Locals

I walk past a lot of photographers almost every day. The steps in front of the church are the quickest route from my house to the parish center; they're also a popular place for tourists to take pictures in front of the Sistine Chapel of the Americas. With time, pretty much anything can become normal. Lots of what the tourists are looking at through their lenses doesn't even call my attention. Things like the facade of the church, the mountains in the background, the big stone steps made of Incan rocks, and the little old lady who sits on them with her dog.

Every time I see someone taking a picture of that old woman I feel angry. Most people know that it's rude to take pictures of strangers. Imagine what your grandmother would say if someone walked up to her in the park and took a picture of her without so much as saying “hello.”

Just last week, I attended the funeral of a 3 year old boy. As we left the church to process to the cemetery, we drew the attention of a group of tourists disembarking from their bus. I saw a man raise his camera as the pallbearers passed him. I sped over to the tourist. “Sir, this is a funeral for a little boy. It's not for photos.” He lowered his camera. I hope he deleted the photos he had already taken.

Taking pictures of people is a complicated thing. As a stranger in a foreign land, curiousity and excitement come easily. It's natural to want to take pictures of everything to remember, to show to your people back home. And in that excitement it's easy to forget that the people you are photographing, despite being poorer than you, despite not having a fancy camera, are individuals with their own will.

Rule of thumb for your next trip: If you would feel weird taking a picture of a similar situation at home, don't take a picture here.