5861: Re: photo's in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: michael.o.leslie@gm.com

When I was in Haiti last spring I took a 35 mm camera and an industrial video
camera. While in Port-au-Prince shooting photos, I always tried to look a person
in the eye, point at my camera and ask "photo?" Lots of folks shook their heads
to indicate "No" so I left them alone. The only problem I had was in Ennery
where some folks didn't understand the difference between instant Polaroid and
35mm cameras, plus, I don't speak Creole, that's something I've got to work on.
My point is this: I tried to be sensitive about cameras, people's privacy and
personal space, especially with my person language handicap in Haiti. Let's face
it, I'm a foreigner and outsider in Haiti and I've got to respect Haitian's
rights to not be bugged by guys like me sticking cameras in their faces. I
didn't have any problems in Haiti but, I was limited in where I could go and I
had an interpreter who knew how to keep my butt out of trouble.
Michael Leslie
Detroit, Michigan