How do you take great photos of people when it's clear they really don't like having their photos taken? Darran Leal faced this challenge on a recent visit to Morocco. He explains how he was able to create an image that accommodated the locals' wish for privacy with his own desire to document something of the local culture.
Over the years I've visited many countries, each with its own culture and unique photo opportunities. Turkey has very friendly people who love to be photographed. Peru offers its stunning culture and people, though often you need to tip! The Himba people of Africa are most commonly photographed via an organised shoot, and the Bhutanese are happy to be photographed if you ask politely. But what do you do when you visit a country where it's clear people don't like their photograph being taken?
For me, this happened after I filled in the customs form for Morocco. 'What is your occupation?' it asked. I wrote my normal response – 'photographer'. This was then questioned for the first time in my 35 years of travelling. I fixed the perceived issue by adding 'freelance' and a stamp was applied and I was on my way.
Morocco in North Africa is an amazing country to explore. You can shoot everything from the Sahara Desert, to ancient sites, beautiful landscapes and the amazing local people. However, many of the people do not want to be photographed. So on a recent visit my son Pearce and I worked on helping our group to get around this obstacle. We used two key techniques: shooting from the hip without using the viewfinder, and shooting in such a way that the person becomes a story within a scene. That is, they were not the key element in our composition.
I really enjoyed this latter style of shooting as it harmed no one. However, I was required to visualise a result beyond a simple portrait. The example here was shot in the beautiful streets of Chefchaouen, the famous 'blue city' in the Rif Mountains of Morocco.
I waited at a road intersection (in light rain) for someone to walk into the scene. The wall mural, left in the image, stood out as a fascinating 'lead' into the real street world. I pre visualised balancing this with a person in the top section of the street. My patience was rewarded with the extra touch of the umbrella seen in the image.
If you ever find it tough to shoot culture and or people, consider this technique. It might open up some great images for you and offer the chance to tell a broader story.
Darren Leal is a professional photographer and the owner World Photo Adventures, Australia's only licensed travel agent dedicated to photographers. If you're interested in a professionally guided photo tour in a small group and want to experience unique photo adventures go to: www.worldphotoadventures.com.au
Chefchaouen is the beautiful blue city in the Rif Mountains of Morocco. Be prepared for different techniques to get the most out of the unique opportunities offered. Lens 24-105mm @ 24mm focal length, f/8 @ 1/350s, ISO 1600, hand held.
