Ian Taylor, "Faces of the World" Contest Winner

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What camera did you use for this photo? And what equipment do you like to
use?
For this shot I used an old EOS 630, with a 28-135mm (IS) lens Ilford with Pan F B&W film. Now, I mainly use a Pentax 645 medium format rig with 45/75/200mm lenses.

Do you have any tips on travel photography you'd like to share?
If you want to take someone's picture, strike up a conversation first. Get to know them a bit and then ask. Also, try and use wider lenses as these will force you to get close to your subject. Learn some of the language.

What are some of your favorite places you've traveled to?
Laos, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Burma, Ireland, Arizona and Newfoundland for starters.

Have you gotten into interesting (good or bad) situations when you were taking a picture?
I haven't had any really nasty experiences in my travel shooting. My style is to first connect with the subject, and then ask if I can shoot. That way I avoid the “cultural terrorism” that I see so often over here—people sticking their cameras up noses of the locals without asking.

As I mentioned before, I work mainly with wide angle lenses, so I have to be close. I'm not into the 200mm zoom approach.

One of my best experiences was during a trip to Angkor. I was chatting with an old Khmer guy in one of the temples. He was hired to clean up leaves and keep the site tidy. After 20 minutes or so, I asked if I could take a shot. When I put the camera up to my eye, a butterfly landed on his knee and I got the shot. One of my faves.

So, most of the experiences are absolutely positive, that's why I love it so much.

More of Ian’s photos can be seen at: www.iantaylor.ca

Helene Goupil is the editor of InsideOut Travel Magazine.

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