Pixiq

Hummm!

I am a bit perplexed about your ethic of work regarding travel photography!
This kind of staging probably require payment to the people who model.

I have nothing against that when we want to come back with beautiful photograph of ... staged model. But it is what it is, Staging modeling.

Then when other travelers arrive there, it is almost impossible to do our work without having to pay. Then it is nothing but consumerism, not experience and sharing.

I usually run away from those Hollywood setting.

Yes I like to get paid when I work too. My job is documenting and that's why I don't pay to photograph. It is against my ethic (and journalism organization ethics too) to pay a subject. Which it doesn't mean I don't "give back". For instance, on my last documentary I gave back part of the sales to the community (not individual). There are many way to give back and not just "take" pictures.

For me photography is way to tell stories and develop relationship, whether in my own country or at the other end of the earth.

As I said, It is OK to pay for model when it is modeling and staging we want to do.

That's when the result is more important than the experience or the authenticity of the scene we witness.

But there are other way to travel and document daily life situations and issues. Of course it require time, a lot of time, developing relationship and trust building.

I guess we are in two different field of practice.
I must admit that I don't know this site and the goal of these post.

Sorry for the intrusion.

Marc-André

I think it has to do with your definition of "travel" photography. Inherently, travel photography IS serendipitous. You travel to explore, to see things of a foreign and enlightening nature, and to experience things that are infrequently seen at home. And then capture that in photographs.

By arranging for models, staged scenes, and controlling the action, you are practicing "foreign modeling" photography in far-away places.

If you managed to watch this tribe for days, observed their motions, rituals, and light patterns, and *then* sought out how to get your photographs unobtrusively? I'd call that travel photography. But not this.

Jason,

You said exactly what I was trying to express (english is not my first language). Travel photography, as photojournalism and street photography is not staged. It is about Life. Staging promote artificial imagery.

By staging we make viewer believe that it is real, it is Life but it is not.

I must admit I was having the same thoughts while reading this article as the few comments above about "Travel" photography.

Once you start posing the people you are shooting this much then, to me, it becomes a photo-shoot, not travel photography.

I think travel photography is more about knowing your subject, being able to anticipate what's going to happen and yes, being in the right place at the right time.

I also agree at not having to pay for every picture you take. In this particular case, since they are acting as your models, then it's ok, and probably a good thing to pay them since at that point they are working for you.
But the problem is that these days you snap a shot in the street of somebody walking by and they expect payment.

Unless they are there to be taken pictures of (and at that point it's a job.. this happens a lot in places like Peru, markets in Morocco, etc) I refuse to pay. Mostly I ask first if I can take a picture of somebody in the street. If they want money, I walk away.

Javier, an interesting twist on your last statement about people wanting money: I'll usually wait for them to ask for money first, then kindly give them a few dollars if they let me photograph them. The idea is from the $2 Portraits project (read more here: http://thomashawk.com/2008/06/introducing-christopher-and-start-of-my.html)

Jim, we'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. And for the record, your photos are absolutely stunning, regardless of how they are classified. Truly great work.