Photographing Indiginous People

Just have another Bourbon!!!!! LOL

Definitely only personal use.

I wish to have a photo journal of my trip, that as well as landscapes, also shows people doing & living.

Wolfie

Rather self-righteous Steve.

You have anything useful to say or are you just beating the usual politically correct drum?

I take it you've not visited many of the places across the planet where exactly what you pontificate about happens every day? In both the Third and the First world, before you get carried away with that one too.

Mike Harding

mike_harding@fastmail.fm

Steve, I had actually thought about this. The thing is, is that I have also been led to believe that if you ask, you can sometimes be verbally chastised, which is not where I want to be.

Sort of a catch 22 situation, but I want to go about it properly.

I guess I'm going to have to wing a lot of it...

Wolfie

As a reposte, I was asked several times in Jakarta for pictures of myself (tall westerner) taken with local Indonesian tourist's families and kids. It was most bemusing to be there as a tourist and a novelty myself.

I got confused at first thinking they wanted me to take a picture of them. I guess my type isn't that common to those outside tourist areas. All were very friendly and polite by note. Still makes me smirk to think that several Indonesian families have a picture of me holding their toddler, with wife and children around me. My ex-pat hosts expressed surprise at the number of requests, but had experienced the same.

To your point, courtesy, humility and interaction are the key. Don't be a seagull tourist - flys in, making lots of noise and fuss, begging around, making a mess, then flys off again. ;)

Tim

Yes, the first option is where I wish to head, along with an 18 - 55 lens... plenty of DOF.

Cheers

Wolfie

Agree with Footloose. You must keep in mind some of these people have had very little exposure to Western attitudes (or want it!) - and who can blame them?

I don't think there is a "standard" just use the normal courtesy you would apply to anyone - and you always sound like a courteous man to me :)

Mike Harding

Footloose & Mike.....

Would you be kind enough to point me in a direction with some URL's?

Cheers

Wolfie

G'day Wolfie,

try here

for some help.

kind regards,

Jeremy.

Wokfie, I notice that some good links have been posted and one gentleman has offered his assistance.
You are lucky, offers of assistance aren't easy to get. It usually takes a few years of getting to know people etc.
A good place to start is your tour operator. They often have gone to extremes to establish long term relationships within the communities that they visit.
A couple of URLs
http://www.dia.wa.gov.au/Land/Permits/PermitMap.aspx?region=3
http://www.clc.org.au/permits/permits.asp

Hope this is of interest.
Cheers
Footie

It's pretty hard to break the ice in a lot of communities. You can't just walk in and say hey I'd love to ask you a few questions/take a few photos. If you're really interested, try and find someone who can introduce or recommend you to someone in the community, perhaps an elder.
Remember that each community is different, as are the people who live there.
If you had screaming hoards of terrorists zooming through your backyard, you probably wouldn't be too friendly either :))

" In some areas photography is not permitted at all..."

Bob, thank you. This is something I was not aware of, until you pointed it out.

Wolfie

Bazpickle, thankyou for the URL. I am loading it as I type this to you.

The permits have all ready been arranged, through the tour company.

Cheers

Wolfie

Padre, this is most welcome!

I am on an organised tour, and the itinerary has been set, although could change at any time.

I am Adelaide based, and I remember one of my Sign Writing clients moving up to near your area, to run a mission.

Cheers

Wolfie

I'll get too wobbly, and won't be able to take piccies..... then I'll have to ask THEM, to take a piccie of me......

Wolfie

Whoa!! Sounds like the country town I grew up in......

Townsfolk with lineage that probably stretched back to the Jurassic period.

Say something about Joe Blow, and look out........ Turns out he's got 15 uncles, 76 aunts, 3 parents... ( go figure ), 18 brothers, and tick at every shop in town.

Wolfie

I think you will find the ones in Alice hanging around are more like the ones you see hanging around most country centres and not communities and were more interested in trouble- there souls would already be long gone

>"white fella stealing my soul"

Whenever I hear that line I'm always reminded of the scene from Crocodile Dundee when the attractive American female photographer is about to take a photograph of Dundee's inept Aboriginal friend and the friend says "Hold it lady! You can't take my photo!" and she asks "Oh... do you believe it will steak your soul?" to which he replies "No. You've still got the lens cap on".

Mike Harding

lol!!!

What I am trying to achieve, is a record of my trip, but not just landscapes & campsites.

I want to be able to have my photo journal look a little like something you would see in say, perhaps..... National Geographic.

I find travelogues are more interesting when they show people doing stuff.

Cheers

Wolfie

Then get your missus or kids to stand there.

bleephaving to ask people
"oh do you mind if I take a photo of that rock, but you maybe in it by accident... I hope you dont mind didums"...