Guilt

Day 123

My camera is broken, but my spirit isn’t. I went to the lake today to see the countryside and to see the people again. The lake is a huge economic help for the Cambodians, who fish like crazy and then sell them to the surrounding countries. On the lake is a floating village and just like the rest of my days, breathtaking. Luckily for me I didn’t need to use my broader lens and only needed my telephoto lens to capture the essence of what I was seeing. I am someone that will take pictures at will and my favorite thing to take pictures of is people. This was the first time that I felt guilty for taking these pictures. I was on a boat and we rode through the village and I could see the people going about their normal business of fishing, lounging around, eating, sleeping, playing, etc. I started to think of what they must be thinking. Imagine a life without privacy, where strangers would come to your neighborhood and home and just take photos of you, your friends and your family. How does it make you feel when someone is pointing a camera directly at your face? For me it feels weird, but it could have a total different feeling for others. I didn’t take as many photos today out of respect for these people, and I hope now that I can show more respect in the future.