Until the mid-1800s, the French presence in West Africa was mostly concentrated in Senegal. In 1866, the French military moved into the region now known as Guinea. The following year they built a military post in Benty and opened a port of trade. The channel at the mouth of the river was relatively deep, allowing ships with 6 meter drafts to pass through.

The deep-water port thrived for decades as a trading center for exports such as bananas, pineapples, rice, salt, coconuts, and palm oil. Over time, the northern town of Conakry’s port was expanded and Benty’s importance waned.

Upon Guinea’s vote for independence on October 2, 1958, the French colonists left almost immediately. Under the new nation’s president Sekou Touré, the port remained open through the 1960s dealing primarily in banana exports. By the 1970s, virtually all traffic through the channel ceased and the town of Benty began to crumble.

I made the images below on a brief visit to Benty in June 2011. Located in the countries remote southernmost region, access to the town is difficult. The town is cutoff off by a Guinean naval base that requires special permission to pass through.

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Benty: Guinea’s Colonial Ghost Town is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

My photograph “Boats of Bouzigues” placed  1st in the juried show and is currently hanging in their gallery. The image was printed and stretched on a 1½ by 3 foot canvas – the largest I’ve ever done – and I was very pleased with the result. If you are interested in purchasing this ready-to-hang print contact me or swing by the MGAA gallery on Ingleside Avenue in Macon, GA.

If you are interested, here’s a bit of info about where the photo was taken and what I was doing there on that day. For the camera geeks out there, this was an HDR image created by compositing three separate photos of different exposures taken on a Canon Rebel XTi.

By Land, By Sea, By Air is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Recently I was invited on Macon’s local CBS station 13WMAZ‘s Weekend Mornin’ show to share a photo tip. This topic was what I talked about because I don’t think there are any secret or magical tricks to it – it really boils down to some basic (and polite) human behaviors.

I truly believe that the best portraits are made by interacting with the subject before hand. Not interacting or asking permission and literally “stealing” a shot can make people angry and contribute to a general distrust/dislike of photographers. Plus you’ll end up with a mediocre image (at best) and you won’t know the person’s story (and I guarantee they have a great one to tell).

So here are the 4 steps I shared on 13WMAZ that sum up the way I approach taking pictures of strangers:

1. Smile
   A person approaching you with a camera can be intimidating – perhaps even creepy. Make sure you smile – that is the most important body language you can express (especially when you and the subject don’t speak the same language).
2. Talk
   Strike up a conversation. You don’t even have to mention taking a photo yet. You obviously found something interesting about the individual or what ever they are doing so talk to them about that. Let them know you are genuinely interested in what they are doing and let them tell you about it.

   People love to talk about what they are doing and your interest in them can give them a sense of validation & confidence in their actions. I try to listen attentively, ask questions, and even crack a few jokes (at my expense not theirs).

   When you don’t speak the same language you can still use body language to ask questions. I’ve been known to make whacky hand gestures and goofy faces to try and get my point across. It isn’t hard and they usually get the drift.

3. Ask
   If you’ve done #2, this next one is a breeze. Often times the conversation turns on me – what am I doing there? am I a photographer? This is a great segue to ask permission to photograph the person. If you’ve already had a friendly chat with the person and shown interest in them they rarely say “No.”

   If I’m interested in something a person is doing or something they have, I’ll ask to photograph that first. Then when I show them that photo (#4) it opens the door for me to photograph them.Don’t speak their language? No problem. Hold up your camera, point to it, point to them, make an inquisitive face, and ask “Photo?”. It doesn’t matter wherever the heck you are in the world, that will translate into asking permission.

4. Share
   Digital cameras have give us the wonderful ability to share photos instantly. Always turn your camera around after taking a photo and show them their image on the LCD. In some parts of the world this is akin to performing a small miracle.

   Give them positive feedback about their image. I always learn the words “Beautiful” and “Handsome” in whatever foreign language I’m dealing with. If you can make them feel good about that first photo you can usually follow up with a 2nd or 3rd or dozens more photos. It also puts them at ease with you in your role as photographer and gives you a chance to compose different shots and sometimes even ask them to pose a certain way or move to an area with better light.If your subject is pleased with their image they can be your biggest promoter – get them to you introduce you to their friends and family for more portraits. Get friends together and photograph them as a group. Just keep smiling and keep talking.

   The second part to sharing the photo is to offer to send them a digital copy. You’d be surprised how many people have email addresses, even in the most remote locations. I keep a notebook with me and I’ll jot down their email address and the file number shown on my camera LCD of their photo. Then when I get back from my trip, I set aside some time one evening to send out all the photos to the email addresses I collected.

   If it is possible (and feasible) you can even mail prints of your photos to them by getting their address. In some remote areas your print may be the only photo a person has of themselves or of a family member. It can be an incredible gift! However, NEVER PROMISE this if you aren’t sure you can follow through with it. If you do mail them prints you will be amazed how excited and grateful they will be if you ever re-visit the area.

I’ve found that smiling, talking, asking permission, and giving back quickly turns those strangers into new friends. Following are some photos from real examples of wonderful experiences I’ve had around the world photographing strangers.

Taking Pictures of Strangers is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

The marina at Palavas-les-Flots, France (August 7, 2009)

The beach at Carnon, France (August 8, 2009)

View from the marina in Ajaccio, Corsica (August 12, 2009)

Gulf of Sagone, Corsica, France (August 15, 2009)

Gulf of Ajaccio as seen from the mountain village of Coti Chivari, Corsica (August 16, 2009)

Panoramas from France & Corsica is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

While the work I’m doing is photojournalism, I’ve picked out some of my favorite portraits from the last few days and edited them a bit in Lightroom. So here is Napoleon & his army…

Portraits of Napoleon & his Army is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Today trucks herd the bulls to the arenas, but the tradition of horsemen running the animals through town continues as an event known as “abrivado”.

Abrivado in Pérols, France is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Credits

Europe 2002 is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

This video is probably the favorite of all those I’ve made over the years. Not only for the way it turned out, but the sentimental value as it is the trip I proposed to my wife on. In fact, she is the “star” of the video as several scenes and shots center around and focus on her. You can see how in love the guy behind the camera was.

Amazingly enough this 25 minute video was edited from only one hour of raw footage… that’s how great the stuff was.

Credits

Paris 2001 is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development