One of the biggest things I love about travel photography in 3rd world countries is that you see things that, well hopefully have an impact on the way you see the world. I know it does for me. To see people in dire circumstances who have little to nothing, yet are happy and content with their lives is eye opening and life changing.
In December, I had a chance to go with my friend in Manilla to a place called Smokey Mountain. I saw things I’ve never seen before. Smokey Mountain is a landfill where squatters live. They live on the landfill, so they can pull all the recyclables out of the trash to make money. Usually the happiest are the kids. They get creative with their toys. They make the best out of the situation they have. The squatters set up almost a small town within the landfill. They even have little stores, one of which have what’s called “brush off food” where they sell food items they’ve found in the trash and “brush off” the dirt. Definitely gives you an idea of the circumstances.
Another big realization is the waste of plastic bags. It made me really think of how many plastic bags we waste in the US, and how much they can actually recycle. The photo below is a grand illustration of the waste. I’ve made a better effort to not use plastic bags as much as I can, using reusable grocery tote bags, etc. It’s something I think we should all make an effort to do. Seeing all this really made me realize how wasteful we are, especially in a city like New York.
All in all, even photos don’t describe the experience of actually being there. The five senses really bring it to reality. The smell of the rotting trash decomposing in front of you, the sounds of the kids running around, the sight of trash for days, and the crunch of trash with each step. These photos don’t do justice to the actual experience, but you get the idea. Click here to see the whole story.
Makes you grateful for what you have, eh?
My first trip to a third world country was when I went to the Dominican Republic aged 9. I remember going out on a ‘jeep safari’ trip and visiting the local villages – seeing people living in tin shacks that were falling apart was a shock…but then being greeted by hoards of laughing kids as the parents smiled on from the doorway of their homes (usually with another baby on their hip) kind of put it in to perspective for me even at that young age. If it’s all you’ve ever grown up knowing, why be sad about it? The fact that these people can make good of what the majority of us would consider an awful situation is proof of their amazing moral fibre and lead me to question what I *really* need to be happy. If everybody had the optimism and motivation that these folk do the world would be all the better for it.
Great moments captured here, Nick.
Each third world country I’ve visited has taught me a different lesson and challenged the way I look at what is important in life.
Whether I was in the Mountains of Honduras, the Jungles of Panama or the Slums of India I’ve found people who live their lives with hardly anything to their name and yet they are filled with complete happiness. I’ve had them open their doors to me and welcome me into their home with so much pride that my heart broke and I walked away with more than I had left them with.
Every time I come home and settle back into my American lifestyle, I find myself challenged to figure out what it is that I value.
Nick,
Thank you for sharing this heartfelt story. It is stories like these which we need to see and hear about to make us realize that we don’t have it as bad as people think. Sometimes, we take things for granted as there people out there struggling to make a living like the people you photographed.
I too believe in using reusable grocery bag totes…as I understand it will a very long time to even recycle plastic bags. It is a simple thing to do and a great way to help the environment down the road.
I want to congratulate on all the hard work you put into the rebranding of your website and blog. It is one of the best I have seen to date. It says alot about who you are as a person and a photographer. Congratulations and may you have much success in the future.
Chris
Hello Nick,
Great pictures as usual. As someone who lives in a third world country, Haiti, I really have to disagree with the notion that people who live in abject poverty are somehow happy and content. I hear that constantly from people who live in wealthy countries. They visit a poor country, come back, and tell their friends and family how they met these poor people who have nothing, but they were happy nonetheless. Just because a poor person smiles for your camera that doesn’t mean they’re happy. They are simply being polite. Poverty is not something to be admired. It is something that should be eradicated. Children shouldn’t have to play in landfills, and walk in germ infested waters. Everyone deserves to live with dignity.
We should consider the conditions in which those people live an awful situation. I just cannot understand how someone can look at these images and conclude that they should re-evaluate what they need to be happy. So now we should all live in slums and let our children play in landfills? Those people dream of a better life and they would gladly switch lives with those of us who are lucky to have a decent life.
It is the poverty and misery that have plagued my country for so long that caused over 200,000 to die on January 12th. So maybe it’s time to stop romanticising poverty and realize that the people who live in these conditions are far from happy.
I’m sure everyone’s heart here is in the right place, but after what I experienced and the devastation that I saw it’s tragically obvious that poverty has catastrophic consequences.
Hi Nick,
Next time you travel to the Philippines, give me a shout. I’d love to bring you around. I’m currently based in Singapore but I am citizen of the Philippines.
I understand what Claude is saying and I agree that poverty is not something to be romanticized. That was not my intention at all.
I was there serving those people, helping them learn new trades. My purpose there was to show them how to work with what they had, to better their lives and support their families. My visits to the countries I named were not short by any means, I lived with these people for a good amount of time and they were happy. You may belittle my experience if you want, to walking in with my camera and walking out the next day but that is not the truth.
My experience was my experience and the people I met were not just being polite. I walked with them through their daily lives, worked with them, sang with them, cried with them, prayed with them, served with them. They were not putting on a show for me, nor was I for them. I will not look back on my time with those people and question anything about my experience. It changed me, you may think that that change is irrelevant but for me it was life altering. My experience may be one in a million…the people I met may have been the only people happy in their situation but I knew them. When I left they were not just faces in a picture, they were my friends.
I am sorry if I offended you. That was not my intention. In no way was I trying to paint poverty as something beautiful. I find that for me it was more a challenge to those who have so much, and yet say they have nothing to give.
I am sorry for the horror you and your country are going through Claude, I realize my comment probably stirred up quite a bit in you and you were 100% right. I am an outsider looking in, in so many aspects, but I do my best to help others and to encourage all within my sphere of influence to get involved and help as well.
Briony,
My intention was not to belittle anyone, and if my comment made it seem that way then I apologize. There are thousands of people from all over the world who have come to my country’s aid and we are eternally greatful. Taking pictures of people who have been in large part forgotten by society is important, and I was in no way suggesting that it’s wrong. The point I was trying to make is that the image that people sometime project on the outside is not always the way they feel on the inside, and we have to be careful not to jump to conclusions.
From the description of the work you have done in many countries, it is clear that you have helped many, and you should obviously be proud of the work you have done.