Scott S Stuckey. National Geographic Ultimate Field Guide to Travel Photography. 2010

COMPENSATION

ost Traveler photographers tip for pictures only if it's the established cus-
tom in an area .But increasingly, tour operators, working behind the scenes,
are compensating members of traditional cultures for making themselves
available for photographs or for putting on cultural demonstrations.When handled
well, Chris Rainier says, that is an enlightened approach. "Out of fairness, there
should be compensation," he says. "If I'm Maasai tending my herd, and someone
says they want to spend time taking pictures, that time is worth something," he says.
"It's a matter of treating humans as humans."
Bob Krist also prefers the arrangement in which the tour operator, rather than
individual travelers, compensates local cultures. "In New Guinea, for example, indi-
vidual tips are not part of their culture-and thank goodness, because it makes it
an awfully pleasant place to work." Compensation gives the traditional culture a
reason to stay traditional, he says. "Same thing in Peru. If giving some money for a
picture to a colorfully dressed lady with a baby strapped on her back helps her live
the traditional life instead of going to Lima and working as a hotel maid, then it's
doing some good."
The most sustainable model, perhaps, is one in which the traditional culture
itself is calling the shots. Rainier points to the Chalalan Ecolodge in Bolivia's Madidi
National Park as an example. There, members of the Quechua-Tacana community run
ajungle lodge and perform traditional dances (above), which Rainier photographed
for Traveler. The arrangement sustains culture and gives visitors an authentic experi-
ence. But, again, Rainier says, the traveler must be sensitive to the level of authen-
ticity, avoiding places where tourism has overwhelmed local culture. Otherwise, he
says, you may end up photographing" Polynesian hula dancing on Waikiki Beach."

Seek Out the Authentic 63

While shooting a Many of them are proud of their home environment:'
feature story on Eventually, he found a pub that he liked, the Palace Bar,
and returned several nights in a row, building a reIa-
Dublin for Traveler, tionship with locals and shooting pictures there "from
every which angle:' A shot he took while standing on
Pete McBride a bar stool, looking down on acoustic musicians play-
returned repeatedly ing their instruments around a beer-laden table, made
to the same pub to it into the magazine.
shoot the regulars.
BE BOLD

Despite the admonitions we give to be respectful and
tactful, it's worth stating that sometimes you also have

64 Ultimate Field Guide to Travel Photography

to be bold. For "The Last Real America;' an article about
rural eastern Montana, Aaron Huey shot a portrait ofthe
Glasgow High School football team. The players were
standing in line before the goalpost, hands over hearts,
for the singing of the national anthem. The players were
lit by stadium lights, and behind them was the waning
sunset. To get the shot, Huey had to kneel in front of the
team, in the middle of the field, noticeable to an entire
stadium of spectators. "In a situation like this;' Huey
says, "I ask myself, 'How assertive should I be?' Then I
remind myself that I'm a professional, and taking really
good pictures can be uncomfortable at times:'

Seek Out the Authentic 65





































Capture a City

Previous pages: ncreasingly, cities are not just where people live and

John Kernick shot do business, but also where we travel on vacation.

this high-but not And why not? Cities have it all-culture, history, din-

too high-view of the ing, shopping, recreation, entertainment, nightlife, and

Manhattan skyline a circus of interesting people. That appeal is obvious in

from the 65th floor of Traveler magazine. Each issue has multiple feature spreads

the GE Building in celebrating the Bangkoks and Barcelonas of the world as

Rockefeller Center. well as additional urban glitz in our City Life department.

Travelers may love cities, but photo editors often do

not. Cities are tough to shoot, and these assignments

are reserved for our most accomplished photographers.

Even then, there's the constant fear that the

coverage will be somehow incomplete, fail-

TIP ing to capture the city's essence, which (as

Before arriving, make a shooting they say about obscenity) is something you

list. Map out a logical route link- can't necessarily define, but you know it

ing your subjects. when you see it. So after the photographer's

"take" comes in and the staff assembles in

the darkened conference room to review the

selects projected on a screen, the atmosphere is tense.

The picture editors hold their breaths and cross their

fingers, even more so than usual, fearing the editor in

chief's dreaded sigh of disappointment.

"Cities are complex-the most difficult assignment;'

says photographer Justin Guariglia, who shot "Buy, Buy

Shanghai;' the cover story for a special issue on cities.

"The options before you can be so overwhelming that

you end up with an underwhelming set of pictures:'

DON'T LEAVE IT TO CHANCE

The key to a successful city shoot is to have a strategy, a
plan of attack, instead of leaving everything to chance.
Start with a shooting list (see Chapter 1, "Get Inspired").
"When I shot 'Pound in Translation; a feature story on

Tokyo written by Traveler's editor in chief;' Guariglia

says, "I had six million interesting possibilities, so I had
to prioritize:' A shooting list reduces your anxiety about
getting the job done. Instead of feeling overwhelmed,
you feel empowered and on task. Guariglia breaks down

84 Ultimate Field Guide to Travel Photography

his list-a dynamic document based on pretrip research Neon lights reflecting
and then refined in the field-into the A list, B list, C off a taxicab heighten
list, and so on, with the most interesting possibilities at the vibrancy of this shot
the top. He still leaves room for serendipity, however. by Justin Guariglia
"When I'm there, I'm constantly talking to people- of Tokyo's bustling
the concierge, the waiter, anyone I meet. I flip through Shinjuku district.
books in local stores, postcard racks, whatever might
give me ideas about subjects and viewing angles:'

Catherine Karnow is the queen of Traveler city assign-
ments. She has shot more cities for us (including Paris,
London, Budapest, and Sydney) than any other pho-
tographer. Like Guariglia, she'll do pretrip research and
confer with the writer to see what will be emphasized
in the text. But then, almost like an urban sociologist,
she organizes her strategy around capturing major ele-
ments of city life: people (young, old, trendy, famous),
architecture, dining, shopping, history, the arts, enter-
tainment, nightlife, sports, transportation (rail, boats,
cars), and icons. There's no one right strategy, of course.
Just having a strategy is what matters.

CATCH THE PULSE

The next step is a very practical one: Break down the
shooting list by day of the week-and even by time of
day-so you know what you should be shooting and

Capture a City 85

when. "Different parts of a city are active at different
times of day:' says photographer Kris LeBoutillier. He
shoots markets in the morning, parks at the lunch hour,
and the theater district at night. "Lots of cities are situ-
ated on bodies of water:' he adds, "whether a lake, a
river, or an ocean. People like to congregate near the
water. You want to go where the people are:'

Karnow likes to shoot trains in the morning, romantic
scenes at dusk, and interior shots-say, in restaurants,
shops, or galleries-at midday, when the sunlight is
harsh. "In general, go inside during the brightest hours:'

86 Ultimate Field Guide to Travel Photography