1 dollar , 1 dollar…
I’m going to risk sounding like a bitch and say this. Do not pay people for pictures!
See example above. At the riverside of Cho 12 in Hanoi, this sweet old lady, a fish monger, saw me with the camera from far and started peddling over. Her old but nimble limbs started posing. Squat down. Standing up. Holding her oar on the left. Lifting it higher. Then, it started. “1 dollar , 1 dollar.” The dreaded 1 dollar chant.
Walking through Cho 12, I had already hear the chant. Mind you, this is a local’s market, not a tourist attraction. But they have been spoiled by the hordes of tourists coming through and paying them for pictures. Some of the store owners were nice. Once a conversation was striked up, they were open to pictures. Or buy stuff from them. Buy roast dog meat and eat it right infront of them. They will be amused by you and you get better pictures. Buy coffee for your mum at home. Buy some local tibits and just give to the hotel staff at the front desk. Whatever you do, DO NOT PAY for pictures. Why? ‘Coz you spoil it for the rest of us. These people make a living out of selling their wares, not posing for pictures. And don’t insult them by offering money.