What makes someone want to be in a photograph?

Responsible Photography and the Andes

What makes someone want to be in a photograph?  

        Not everyone wants to be photographed all of the time, no matter what culture they are from.  But how can tourists be considerate when photographing strangers in another country, while still capturing the images they desire?  In the Andes, sometimes locals are “camera shy” while at other times, tourists and locals engage enthusiastically in creating photographs together.  This study, conducted in the fall of 2004, examined photographic interactions in Vicos, Peru, to discover what is important for both tourists and locals when it comes to photography.  The following information is based on interviews with tourists, homestay hosts, other locals in Vicos, and is supplemented by the findings of other social research in Andean societies.

This study found that in a homestay environment, homestay hosts and guests engaged in photography together, sharing the experience positively.

Tourists and hosts interviewed expressed the following mutual benefits from photography:

• Communication: Photographs helped sidestep language barriers, particularly through the use of digital cameras (which allow the image to be seen immediately) and through the sharing of personal photographs brought from home.
• Memories: Owning photographs allows both tourists and hosts to remember each other’s faces and names.  Hosts emphasized their appreciation for pictures of their families with their guests which they received by post some time after the visit.
• Education: Tourists explained that besides providing personal memories, photographs would be something they could share with friends and family back home.  Likewise, hosts appreciated knowing that the tourists would be teaching more people about the way of life in Vicos, and this would perhaps encourage more people to visit their community.

Not everyone in Vicos desires to be photographed by tourists, however.  Sometimes people ask tourists for payment when they are photographed.  Some people run or hide their faces when tourists try to take their pictures.  

Do people believe that being photographed will steal their soul?

• Overwhelmingly, Vicosinos interviewed said that they had never heard of anyone believing this, or explained that this belief existed only in the past.  Some people might say “you burn me” or “why do you take my soul”, when photographed by a stranger, however.
• The concept of Soul Loss is found cross-culturally.  In the Andes, it is typically caused by problematic social relationships or a sudden fright.  People are said to have different types of souls, and thus the loss of one soul could cause illness or mental difficulties.  Photography itself is not a cause of Soul Loss, but an unwanted interaction with a stranger might be harmful to one’s health.
• People prefer to be photographed by those they know and trust; a tourist is often a stranger.

What made photography a positive experience for hosts and guests in Vicos?

• Trust:  Hosts and tourists spent time together and shared parts of their lives.  Tourists valued the Vicos way of life, and wished to learn.  Tourists were not strangers, but invited guests.
• Reciprocity: An important element of Andean culture, reciprocity means that you must both give and receive when in a relationship with another person.  Tourists and hosts in Vicos engage in reciprocity, but a tourist just walking through town does not, and so locals may be reluctant to be photographed.
• Compromise: Tourists were sensitive to what the hosts wanted, and asked permission whenever they weren’t sure.  Often, tourists made a concerted effort to photograph hosts as they wished to present themselves, even if that meant fewer candid photograph and more posed or unsmiling photographs.

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