Camera bag (and safety) in Mumbai

[dritz]

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I am traveling for Mumbai for most of November... primarily for business. Any extraordinary concerns carrying around an M7 and a small Camera bag?

 

Suggestions on photo etiquette?

 

Thanks.

[wda]

The main security consideration calls for discretion at all times. Avoid unnecessary parading of your kit which might be safe enough in many more benign communities. You don't describe your bag. If it cries out 'camera bag', consider getting a more stealthy alternative. Search the forums for many threads on this issue.

 

When not in a secure business environment, develop a 'sixth sense' to alert you to situations where unacceptable risks prevail. If possible, link up with a like-minded colleague for company and mutual security.

 

Although you are a film photographer, do consider taking a small digital compact camera, such as a Leica D-Lux 5, which can be valuable in many situations where a larger camera kit announces your intentions.

 

There are many highly experienced travel photographers who contribute to these forums, who will surely add more hints and tips based on their time in Mumbai or similar Asian cities. When you return home, spare a moment to post your more recent experiences here for the benefit of others facing your challenge in the future.

[SJP]

Ignore everything, no-one knows what a Leica looks like, let alone what it is worth. The only thing to worry about is the persona you are projecting. Dangle the camera over your shoulder, forget it is there. That is the best camouflage.

[Guest stnami]

Sorry but you and your camera aren't that important few will give a rat's arse about you, they have better ways of relieving you from your money,,,,,,,,,

[dritz]

Thanks for the comments.

 

I have an Art-and-Artisan 7100, black canvas. Inconspicuous enough. I usually wear a long sleeve shirt as a jacket and keep the camera hidden beneath with the strap across my shoulder and neck. That could be difficult with temperatures in the 90's fahrenheit. I plan on putting some funny kids stickers on the M7 and primarily shoot with the 35 summarit with its small size, and the 90 MEM. Hello kitty is a favorite.

 

Also have a Fuji GA645 which seems to do well enough with B&W (HP5). That's a disposable camera these days compared to the price of a Leica kit.

 

Any suggestions of etiquette of photographing strangers? Is it better to ask? Should I offer monetary thanks? Suggested amounts?

 

Thanks.

[Guest stnami]

Don't forget to pack the Mickey Mouse ears!

[Guest WPalank]

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Do not pay! You ruin it for the rest of us.

 

I haven't been to Mumbai yet, but in India, I've never felt safer even in the ghetto areas.

 

I get a real unconfidence in your post, so you might want to test the water gingerly. You have to be confident, make eye contact with body forward. No, "may I?", "mind if I?".......just do it! If they ask you for money after the fact, wave them off and move on.

 

Remember if you start paying everyone, you f*ck it up for the rest of us. If unsure, take pics of the buildings then drag your hotel concierge out into the sunlight for your "people" shot and be done with it.

 

There is another trick I plan on sharing under "Travel Tips" on my new Blog in the near future.

[wattsy]

Remember if you start paying everyone, you f*ck it up for the rest of us.

 

Yes, don't start giving poor people the idea that they might be able to earn a few bob from rich tourists using their environment as a kind of NatGeo 'Disneyland'.

[Guest WPalank]

Yes, don't start giving poor people the idea that they might be able to earn a few bob from rich tourists using their environment as a kind of NatGeo 'Disneyland'.

And this coming from a self avowed people shooter?!

 

I simply can't afford to pay everyone out on the street. There are other things you can do but you have to be warm, sensitive and a people person. Got it old boy? Stick to the Spitfires, they don't talk back.

 

Something I had no plans on bringing up. My wife and I had approached a poor school in Thailand and asked if they needed supplies. They told us many of the students couldn't afford shoes and wouldn't make it on rainy days. So we went out personally and bought them shoes. Our relatives heard about it (restaurant owners) and they went and bought a lot of food and ice cream and along with delivering the shoes, we cooked and served a warm lunch for the youngsters and teachers.

 

 

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So go on sipping your champagne on old airfields and making sure your Hadley purse, I mean Gentleman's bag, sorry...camera bag doesn't get dirty. I'll be rubbing elbows with , smiling, laughing and giving a look-see on my LCD display with these poor residents of the "Nat Geo" channel................ AND having the time of my life!

 

So if you ever find your self in one of these areas and take time to get out of your Hazmat suit to take a picture, it really doesn't steal their soul. Nobody dies.

 

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde.

[wattsy]

So we went out personally and bought them shoes

 

Maybe we should nominate you for a humanitarian award?

 

Remember if you start paying everyone, you f*ck it up for the rest of us.

 

Fuck up what exactly? The luxury of taking snaps of people without being bothered by demands for payment? I'm not sure that my simple criticism warrants such a 'drama queen' style response. A man of your education (weren't you a plastic surgeon before you became a photojournalist) should be able to see that there is a perfectly legitimate alternative view. I don't want to come over all Kantian about the issue but I simply believe in treating people as ends rather than means and find the whole tourist as PJ thing a little distasteful.

[Guest WPalank]

Fuck up what exactly? The luxury of taking snaps of people without being bothered by demands for payment? I'm not sure that my simple criticism warrants such a 'drama queen' style response. A man of your education (weren't you a plastic surgeon before you became a photojournalist) should be able to see that there is a perfectly legitimate alternative view. I don't want to come over all Kantian about the issue but I simply believe in treating people as ends rather than means and find the whole tourist as PJ thing a little distasteful.

 

On another thread you stated, as above, you don't enjoy PJ work with people. So be it and it's probably better for the world.

 

But to those of us that do it, let me explain the scenario a I have seen it unfold a couple of times.

Nervous photographer shooting people for his first time doesn't know what to do and starts handing out the local currency to the mobs. I walk into the scene wanting to shoot people in their natural environment, they see my camera and immediately associate cameras with dolling out money. They rush in with their hands flailing looking for handouts and even grab at my camera. End of story!

 

Any time you want to meet face to face and call me a "Drama Queen", let me know. The phrase has kind of a different connotation in my city.....

[SJP]

Paying for photo's in the "public domain" should be discouraged - I agree with William. In specific cases I can still imagine affording some payment but then it should be clear that it is my decision to pay rather than "their" right to recieve. A subtle but essential difference. I can only remember one case in the last 40 years that I decided that payment was reasonable/merited.

 

Do not give a tip unless it is deserved. It is an honour but not a "right"

[dritz]

Ok. I have my Mickey ears packed.

 

I'll be courteous and grateful -- remunerating photographic subjects with gratitude. The Kantian discussion is interesting as I recall we should not use people as only a means but also and always as an ends. The implication is that we cannot use people as a means without having an impact on them as an ends as well.

 

Apparently you cannot take a picture without leaving something behind.

[Guest stnami]

Pay if you want to as it is always appreciated, you will know when it is the right thing to do. WPlank just loves to play "The Great White Hunter"

[Guest WPalank]

Ahh ims, you're such a wee mouse.

 

I kind of like the term but it infers a privileged status. Not me. Daddy was a Fighter Pilot and they don't make squat for money. Had to claw my way through school washing pans and such when the lectures ended. Plus my little motocross hobby put plenty of oil and grime under these fingernails....

 

Would like to meet you some day, if I remember you lectured a time or two up in Canada.

[SJP]

<snip> Apparently you cannot take a picture without leaving something behind.

Am I imagining things or is this one of the most useful/insightful comments I have seen here so far?

 

No I am not joking. The act of photography (of people) has implications even it the subject does not know the picture was taken. It is a contract of respect & integrity.

[IkarusJohn]

Thanks for the comments.

 

I have an Art-and-Artisan 7100, black canvas. Inconspicuous enough. I usually wear a long sleeve shirt as a jacket and keep the camera hidden beneath with the strap across my shoulder and neck. That could be difficult with temperatures in the 90's fahrenheit. I plan on putting some funny kids stickers on the M7 and primarily shoot with the 35 summarit with its small size, and the 90 MEM. Hello kitty is a favorite.

 

Also have a Fuji GA645 which seems to do well enough with B&W (HP5). That's a disposable camera these days compared to the price of a Leica kit.

 

Any suggestions of etiquette of photographing strangers? Is it better to ask? Should I offer monetary thanks? Suggested amounts?

 

Thanks.

I think you're being a bit too concerned (not surprising, given the cost of the gear you're lugging) - my experience all over Asia (though not in India) is that your camera is unlikely to attract attention. You will see lots of tourists and backpackers carrying some very expensive kit. You won't stand out, except to the few who recognise the red dot.

 

To give you an idea, I have backpacked through China, SE Asia & much of West Africa with a Nikon FE2 and three very good lenses (and on one occasion with a Hasselblad - a total pain) and no one really took too much notice.

 

But, you need to be careful of your gear. I always preferred a shoulder bag over my head, with one arm through for security; and never leave your bag unattended (obviously). My camera bag was always either over my shoulder or on my lap (though it was stolen in Africa through my lack of attention more than anything - I fell asleep on a public bus).

 

As for asking or paying, don't, unless you see the locals do it (I paid a Sadhu at a monastery once) - it sends all the wrong messages. You do need to be respectful, though. It's a shame you're taking an M7 and not an M9. In less developed countries like Nepal (particularly in the 80s), you would usually get a small crowd - kids really like it if you show them the picture on the monitor. On occasion, people ask to be sent copies - always a nice thing to do if you can.

 

Cheers

John

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I've been to Mumbai many times with my M7 and have never had a problem. The only trouble I've ever had is keeping people out of my shots. They love getting their picture taken. Take a small digital P & S so you can show your subjects their picture. They love it.

 

BTW, a smile on your face will go a long way.

[pico]

(responding to WPalank) A man of your education (weren't you a plastic surgeon before you became a photojournalist)

 

Endodontics - treatment of dental roots, trauma, root canals, 'endo' for short.

 

--

pico - former PJ, but today I'd rather have a root canal.

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Hallo,

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