Camera Hounds #1
Grenada, Nicaragua
2013
I try to be relatively discrete when taking photos of people on the street, not wanting to intrude (at least too obviously) in people’s lives. When people do notice me taking photos of them the biggest reaction I generally get is a quizzical look. Grenada though has been a different story. It’s the only place I’ve been where someone has seen me just carrying my camera and implored me to take their photo. At first I expected perhaps they’d want me to pay them for privelege but they seemed just pleased to have me take the picture and then show it to them on the camera.]]>
Camera Hounds #1
Grenada, Nicaragua
2013
Yes, Nicaraguans love having their pictures taken! A lot of it has to do with the fact that most people can’t afford their own cameras or to have their photos made, so they just want to see themselves! When I was there, I still didn’t have a digital camera for some reason, and the kids would get mad at me because they couldn’t see the pictures.
Well, a lot of the Nicaraguans around here seem to have cell phones and they take quite a lot of photos of each other. I have not seen very many big DSLRs around though (partly because there aren’t all that many tourists and partly because I think a lot of tourists are afraid to carry around a camera that expensive),so that may have something to do with them asking me to take their photos. At least I’ve noticed a lot of people glancing at me and then glancing at my camera. I’ve never gotten the feeling that anyone was thinking about relieving me of it; rather it is just unusual to see one in some neighborhoods. Actually it is a bit unusual to even see a tourist in some of the neighborhoods but no one has paid that much attention to me–unless of course they were one of the ones wanting me to take their photo.
I guess some things have advanced since I was there. It was seven years ago, after all!
The seven years certainly makes a big difference (I don’t think I even had a cell phone back then). But also there is a big difference in utility availability (of all kinds, water electricity, phones etc.) between the urban and rural areas and various parts of the country as well.