One of the reasons that I fell into photography and have enjoyed some longevity with it is that it allows me to travel far and wide and get into all manner of interesting situations. I’ll catch flak for this, but sometimes the payout for what I do isn’t measured in the size of the paycheck, but rather the experiences I get to enjoy and the images I bring back with me.
About a year ago I was asked to travel to Guatemala with a charity team installing a clean water system for a very remote village populated by Mayan descendants. (This was during all the hype about the “Mayan Apocalypse” so that made it even more fun for me to journey into that territory.)
A week and too much mud and rain to even fathom later, the weather was starting to break and we were enjoying the valley, really stoked for dry socks and to be heading home in a few days. Just then, the local cartel heavies decided that we had overstayed our welcome. We had to scramble back to the compound, pack all our gear, and stand vigil all night as there were gunmen looking for us. Fortunately, we had the support of the locals so we had a bunch of our own gunmen. It was like a really weird, quite sketchy Central American version of West Side Story.
The valley was crawling with guys with guns in the pitch black and there we were. I recall taking a couple of crisp U.S. $20 bills and folding them up and putting them in my pocket in case those folks came in. I also took all my memory cards from my camera bag, wrapped them in a ziplock bag and buried them in the bottom of a coffee can full of junk in the hopes that if we were robbed in the night I could hand over the cash and worst case, all my cameras to placate them. Cameras can be replaced but images can’t. In the end, all was well and we got the hell out of there, but it was quite the 24 hours for sure.
There is always an inherent element of risk in traveling and photographing, especially when you are well outside of your comfort zone and own culture. I’ve found you just have to respect it and use the heightened senses that come with being on edge to your advantage. I’m sure that everyone finds themselves in a “what the f**k” type situation from time to time, but friends and colleagues will tell you, it happens to me way more than is normal. I don’t know why, and I don’t care either, but I just run with it and see where it takes me and ultimately, I get some stellar images from it.
On another trip I was trying to catch a cab in Morocco to a pilgrimage around midnight. Eventually, a beat-up Ford van rolled up and a bunch of 20-something Moroccan dudes hollered at me to get in the back. Cool. Free ride. Well, I piled in only to realize once the doors were shut that I was with about a dozen sheep and eight guys sitting in plastic lawn chairs passing a hash joint around. One guy asked me if I was from the U.S., and this is always the truth-or-dare-type question. I blinked twice and thought “what the hell”… “Yeah, I’m American.” The dude smiled really big, pulled out his cell phone and started playing 2Pac. It was a great time and they eventually invited me into their little social circle. I was able to hang with them and get access over the week to places that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
I’ve been shooting professionally in one capacity or another for about eight years now. I started my career as a lowly photo assistant and pretty much kept my mouth shut, my eyes open, my hands full and worked my way up through the ranks until I had a portfolio I was proud of and had the confidence to strike out on my own. That was about three and a half years ago and was one of the best decisions I’ve made (and I’m really good at making really bad decisions so, that’s saying something).
I know my stories sound crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve found over the years that it’s critical that you don’t expect people to understand what it is you do or the choices you make. Like I said, my ultimate goal is to walk away with experiences and images that I couldn’t have found otherwise.
I got where I am now by fighting my own battles and learning from my mistakes. We have the best job in the world and a LOT of people want it so, there is a ton of competition. You need to stack the deck in your favor any way possible (ethically, of course) to better your odds. And most of all, you need to surround yourself with diverse, interesting people.
- Hollis | Hollis Bennett portfolio
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