How learning a language can make you a better photographer
Learning the tonal Thai language
I still remember 11 years ago sitting in a classroom with my Thai language teacher in Chiangmai. I was on the verge of tears. I thought that I would never learn this crazy language.
The Thai language is a tonal language. This means that the same word said with a different tone, can mean totally different things. For example the word “mai” said with a low tone (l) means “new”. “Mai” said with a rising tone (r) makes a question. ”Mai” said with a falling tone (f) means “to burn”. “Mai” with a rising tone (r) spelt a different way means “silk”. So if I ask a Thai person the following question “Mai (r) mai (l) mai (f) mai (r)…. aka mai mai mai mai, I have asked the question “does new silk burn?”
And tones aren’t the only problem with this language…. there are strange consonants. There is the sound that is a cross between a b and p . And then there is the sound which is a cross between a d and a t ….. and the list goes on.
The short version is this, eventually I did learn to speak Thai. In fact 4 years later, I had a weekly radio show teaching English in Thai. I must say, that wasn’t all plain sailing though. One time my radio announcer asked me “how do you feel living in Thailand?”. I wanted to answer “The immigration department calls us aliens on the immigration forms, and I feel like an alien sometimes.” Instead though a simple mispronunciation I said that I felt like a man with different breasts……… The announcer collapsed with laughter as did half of Chiang Mai.
Playing with words
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These language differences make for some great word plays, and therefore humour. I find it quite handy to play the dumb foreigner and play with word pronunciations. The Thai do it too, but with a bit more finesse.
You can imagine how handy it is standing in an elevator listening to people make comments about me, like “he’s got hairy arms” and acting like I don’t hear anything. Then as I get off the elevator I say something in Thai like “I don’t have hairy arms…. you should see my wife!” I love the look of shock on people’s faces!
All this goes to say that, language is vital for connecting with people. Even if you are a tourist staying in a luxurious hotel, making a little effort can get you a long way….. Some people really do try hard when they come to Thailand. I remember one time seeing a tourist wearing a cane rice steamer on his head, because he thought it was a hat! He must have worked it out eventually since there were so many suppressed laughs on the street!
Two kinds of portraits
There are two kinds of travel portraits. One is the lucky portrait.
This is when you manage to catch someone in the distance with a long lens with that “faraway look”. Here you are left wondering “what was that person thinking about?” And then there is the intimate engaged portrait.
This is where you have connected with a person, and caught a moment with a person, got a glimpse of the real person, and a shot into the soul. This is just as important on the street as it is in the studio. Even when I am shooting 360 degree Virtual Tours (panoramas) having engaged people makes all the difference in the shots.
How do you engage people to get that intimate look?
Really, you have to spend time with your subjects. In the studio, I make time to talk with and laugh with people before and during a shoot, and even after. Recently I shot a couple who said that the photo shoot was the highlight of their trip to Thailand! On the street, on farms, in refugee camps, wherever, the key is to connect with the people you are shooting. I sometimes freak-out when I see a photographer just charge up to someone and stick a camera in their face….I usually talk a bit, make em laugh, ask about their family, work, day, etc and then ask if I can photograph them. Of course they know thats what I’m going to do from the outset, especially with my Nikon D700 and 70-200 lens round my neck!
How to talk to people
Fortunately, I was born with some crazy genes. I mean, I do crazy things. One day at a shopping mall, I picked up a naked mannequin and put her under my arm, and started walking around the mall… much to my kids’ dismay! Another time a joined a crowd of teenage hiphop/break dancers. A sight to be seen (not explained) really. Being a little nuts, really helps you connect with people. Tell a few jokes, and then click away at those smiling faces. I think this is why my photos have a certain look. Kind of a happy look. Even shots I take in refugee camps and difficult areas tend to have a hopeful feel to them. Thats my trademark. I think there’s enough sadness and depression in this world without making it look worse.
Everyone has a smile to give somewhere. Its fun being a photographer to catch that glimpse.
