Letter of the Week: Listen to This

Dear Editor,

As I headed out on my latest photographic trek to Nepal,I picked up the March 2007 issue containing John Owen's editorial "Shoot on Site." A veteran of many treks to third world countries, I was quite surprised to read the endorsement of pens as payment for taking pictures of people. It is because of behavior like this that trekkers in Nepal are constantly harassed by kids first chanting "sweets," then "pens,"  then when they realize you have nothing else, "ruppies" (the Nepal currency).

This is all without ever pulling your camera out of your bag. Giving trinkets to kids is certainly a way to get them to pose, but it sets a very bad precedence. It has reached such epic proportions in Nepal that they sell shirts stating, " No pens, No sweets, No ruppies."

If you really want to help children, then bring the pens to a local school. The teachers will be extremely grateful for such a resource and I assure you that there will be an abundance of photographic opportunities.

Rather than feeding an expectation that children should be given things, I employ a simple theory I use with my niece and nephew. Instead of buying gifts, I try to create fun, shared activities whenever possible. When traveling in third world countries, one obvious way to share an experience is to show them their picture. My latest discovery that sends the kids into an excited frenzy is to let them listen to your MP3 player. With a little imagination there are countless possibilities to give gifts without bribery.

Sincerely,
Jeff Salvage