Boldly Go Solo

One of the best tips a solo traveler can learn about photography is number nine on a list of 10 tips released by the Society of American Travel Writers Tuesday: "Put local people in your photos."

SATW says to do it because it gives your photos a sense of size and scale. I say to do it because it breaks down that wall between visitor and local and gives you an excuse to talk to people.

Yes, it takes a smattering of courage to approach strangers and ask permission to "make a picture" as professional photographers say. ("Shoot" is so violent…!!)

But with a digital camera, it takes little more than showing your photo to your subject to elicit a smile. And make them feel like they got something out of obliging you.

Children all over the world these days, it seems, know that their faces appear in the back of that little box that just flashed and will pull on you to see themselves. The smiles that appear from these encounters will include your own.

For instance, I saw a photogenic family at a shisha bar in Cairo. The father was smoking from a hookah while the wife and three children sat around the table with tea and other drinks. I thought they were Egyptian. It turns out they were tourists like me. From Armenia. Still worth a photo.

Despite not being able to speak English they tried to talk to me. The toddler could speak little of either of our languages. His mother worked on getting him to look at me. It was exhilarating having our little interchange and showing the children their animated faces between each shot. They leaned in close to see and then posed some more.

Same thing happened at the Sphinx, where I got smiles all around from a young family after I showed them photos of themselves.

The other tip that could be helpful to solo travelers is the one about getting up early, before the harsh light of day flattens the light. When a place isn't yet packed with tourists, both you and the locals will be less irritated by the madding crowds. 

Simply sitting beside someone on a bench or at the edge of a fountain might lead to conversation. If nothing else, it's a beautiful time to be out. Good for reflection and a little peaceful interlude before the rush of trying to see and do and get somewhere. 

As for the rest of the photo tips, well, they might not pertain to solo travel, but they're certainly useful for making better pictures.

Photos: Ellen Perlman. An Armenian family; a felucca captain on the Nile; an Egyptian family visiting the Sphinx.

All seemed to delight in seeing photos of themselves. (I think that silly head garb on the man on the right in the last photo is something he bought for cheap to keep the sun off him. Lots of vendors were trying to sell those to me. A square of cheap cloth with a ring you pop on your head to hold it down.)