Northern Pakistan

When we read about Pakistan in the news, they are mostly on war, disasters and generally depressing and negative news. Which is such a waste, cos the country is such a wonderful travel destination. It's landscapes and sceneries are just fantastic, and with 8 of the 13 mountain peaks above 8000m in Pakistan, it is a mountaineer's dream destination.



But one of the most amazing things I experienced in Pakistan besides the landscapes, are the people. They are among the friendliest people I meet in my travels, and their hospitality is what makes travel in Pakistan one of the most memorable as well. I got invited for teas, and even joined a family for dinner in their house and they would go all out to make you comfortable. And we just met on the streets.





I flew into Lahore, and covered mostly Northern Pakistan, so I actually have no experience in travel in the southern part of the country. However, from what I gather, I do feel the northern part provides the best experience and photo opportunities in both landscapes as well as people and culture. Moreover, the Karakoram Highway is in any backpackers dream trip, and that alone could warrant you a trip to Northern Pakistan!

People. Faces.

Travel portraits are hard. I don't feel comfortable sticking cameras into people's faces. Yet I love capturing expressions, features, feelings. Faces that tell stories of a era past, faces that exude carefree abandon of distant future. So, it's about balancing what I like, and what I want.

There are a couple of strategies in taking people shots when traveling :

• Talk to your subjects. Spend some time around them. I think it's human nature that once a person determines that you are a harmless dolt, they will be more natural in their behavior and more receptive of being photographed. I think this is the best method, although in some cases, it may not be practical.
  
• Ask! Conquer the fear of asking. I know, it's hard, as I've faced this countless times. Whether isit a language barrier, or your potential subject looks like your enemy, usually all it takes is a simple question or gesture. Surprisingly, most people will obliged, although sometimes, you do get an unnatural, uncomfortable or awkward pose and subject.
• Some subjects will ask for money to be photographed. If I encounter such a situation, I will usually walk away because I feel this is not a right practise and I do not want to encourage it.
  
• Use a telephoto lens and shoot from afar. This may seem voyeuristic but it does give good candids. To make it feel less voyeuristic, I usually hang around the area so that the subject knows about my presence. This is probably the most convenient method to get people shots.
  

At the end of the day, everyone will have to find their own comfortable way to get their own people shots when they travel. For me, I placed a little more emphasis on people's feelings and reactions, so sometimes I do miss out some shots which I would have loved. But I it's something I will live with. YMMV.