An Encounter in Morocco
I’d stopped beside a stall in Essaouira’s markets. On seeing my camera, almost immediately, the vendor accused me of taking his photograph without permission.
I hadn’t.
He was quite aggressive. I assured him I hadn't taken a photograph and remained calm. I wasn't particularly fazed, so I turned my attention to the items displayed in his shop.
As I turned to leave, he then shifted his attitude and position and invited me inside. Intrigued by his change of attitude, I accepted and followed him inside.
He tried to sell me a bookmark and some other trinkets. I wasn’t interested. He’d been blunt with me, so I was equally direct. Polite, but clear.
We kept talking. His manner gradually warmed.
That was when I told him what really interested me: taking his portrait. I offered to pay.
He wanted fifty dirhams. We negotiated and agreed on twenty.
By then, he knew what I wanted. We had discussed it, and he had agreed to be photographed.
We went back outside. I wanted the shop around him, the decorated wall, the hanging merchandise, and the darkness behind him. The purple headscarf caught my attention, but the setting mattered too.
I took four pictures. On hearing the shutter clicks, he started negotiating for more money.
I declined. I felt I had the shot.
Looking through the photographs afterwards, I kept returning to the wider frame. It holds more of the place and the encounter.
But the most useful thing I took away was a reminder about how to approach people.
I don’t think this portrait would have happened if I’d simply put a camera in his face. It came after we had spoken, shown some interest in each other’s intentions and reached an agreement.
Yes, I paid. That was part of the exchange. The conversation still mattered.
For me, the order was the lesson.
Engage first. Ask for the portrait. Then raise the camera.
A few things to try
Start with a conversation.
Take an interest in the person and what they are doing. Give the encounter time to develop before asking for a photograph.
Make the request clear.
Explain what you would like to photograph and get their agreement. If payment is part of the exchange, agree it before taking the pictures.
Leave room for the setting.
Try a wider portrait as well as a closer frame. The surroundings can tell you something about the person and the encounter.