The theme of this online photography exhibition by members of the British Guild of Travel Writers is People. People, it’s said, make places. Photographs of local folk help travellers form mental images of what to expect in a place. Quality photography is often a key factor in people deciding whether they’ll invest in travelling to a destination.
Local hospitality can elevate visitors’ experiences of a destination from the ordinary into the unforgettable. Insights gleaned from residents can be invaluable to travel writers. Photos are a way of recalling details of acquaintances and chance meetings.
Authenticity and the selfie
Today many travellers cite the desire to experience ‘authenticity’ among the reasons they undertake a journey. Yet we’ve also seen the rise of the selfie. Do the two conflict?
The Instagram accounts of many travel influencers harbour feeds dominated by images of their holder having an awesome time in fashionable clothing. Sceptics may well ask why such accounts don’t do more to reflect locals and the place where the image was snapped.
Smartphones and travel photography
Thanks to smartphones, the internet and the world’s growing population, more people than ever before have the ability to showcase images from their travels. We live in a time of unparalleled opportunity.
Perhaps we’re nearing the end of a golden age? Will people earning average salaries have opportunities for long-haul travel curtailed due to environmental legislation? Will Brexit hit Britons’ ability to travel easily to European Union destinations? Those are £350 million questions.
People photos undertaken while travelling can also prove a valuable form of documentation.
People online photography exhibition
Nori Jemil submitted an image of a gaucho about to ride with a traditional saddle in Patagonia, Chile.
At the Montecatini Therme in Tuscany, Italy, Valery Collins photographed a meal eaten in silence as people communicated by smartphone.
Peter Ellegard photographed a man in a beard wearing a traditional costume in Shanghai, China.
Mark Andrews photographed a performer preparing for a traditional Barong performance at Batubulan on Bali, Indonesia.
Jeremy Hoare photographed indigenous Kuna people wearing traditional clothes in the San Blas islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama.
At the Song Festival Ground in Tallinn, Estonia, Tim Bird photographed two people sharing a quiet moment ahead of a mass choir performance.
Melissa Shales photographed a cotton weaver in Shendi, Sudan. He and his wife had a small workshop set up in the courtyard of their home, where they sat on the ground, working off ingeniously recycled machinery.
At Badami in Karnataka, India, Stuart Forster photographed a man in a traditional headwear
Simon Urwin photographed a bronc match, a bucking bronco contest, in the Badlands of Alberta, Canada.
Petra Shepherd was walking on a Samoan beach and spotted a youngster with a winning smile.
Tharik Hussain photographed a shy girl with a toddler on her hip at Sreemangal, Bangladesh.
Gillian Thornton photographed a group walking at low tide on a wet day in the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France.
Bella Falk was at Inle Lake in Myanmar when she photographed a fisherman pulling in his net while steering with his leg.
Duncan JD Smith photographed a mother and child in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region.
At the Playa Guiones in Nosara, Costa Rica, Andrew Day photographed a group of surfers against a golden sky.
