When I first applied for the World Race, I wanted to know what I was getting myself into. I read blogs, I did some research, but I was especially looking for pictures. I didn’t want to just read about what it was like – I wanted to see it.
Most of the pictures I saw were landscapes, sunsets, coffee shops, people at tourist attractions, and the occasional monkey stealing someone’s food. A lot of times you saw very little of actual ministry work. Now at the time, I jumped to a stupid conclusion that the critics were right and the World Race was just another trek around the world that Christians used the “missions trip” label to justify.
It bothered me at the time, but I shook it off, and it came back around again during the months I spent waiting between training camps. I had been told multiple times at training camp to “be authentic” and that the race wasn’t as glamorous as it seemed on Instagram, and yet it seemed that the vast majority of pictures on the World Race website were the ones I described above. Didn’t seem too authentic to me.
As I relayed this concern to a friend whose opinion I valued, this was her response:
“Well can’t you be authentically enjoying the beauty of the people and places you encounter?”
Okay, that was fair, and perhaps I was giving too much thought to a sunset picture or two, but it didn’t answer my question of why I wasn’t seeing other aspects of the race nearly as much. After quite a lot of searching, I found my answer, and it’s not a simple one. I share it here to answer any similar questions you may have when reading and following my blog.
Part 1. Staying focused
I learned this one the hard way a few years ago. If you’re trying to take pictures of a moment, you miss out on experiencing that moment. When I went to Guatemala the first time, I really wanted to be able to make a recap video of the trip. As a result, I spent too much time filming and not enough building relationships. When we left, I realized the imbalance in how I spent my time, and sorely regretted it. A year after I got the chance to return to Guatemala, and was able to visit Hogar Mama Carmen a second time. Determined not to make the same mistake, I didn’t even take my camera, and my iPhone stayed in my pocket. I made the most of my few hours to play catch with Rolando and Nehemias, chat with Kevin and Brandon about school, soccer, and our mutual friend Marcos, and play card games with Dennis, Wendy, and Nora. This is what I remember, not lining up the perfect photo opportunity, and it makes me smile every time I think about that day.
Not taking pictures of your ministry doesn’t mean it’s not happening, it just means you want to be all-in. So how am I going to make sure this happens on the race? First of all, I’m not bringing my point and shoot camera. I’ll have my phone for quick snapshots and photo opportunities with my team, but I’m not getting fancy. I certainly won’t be springing for a DSLR, although if I already had one it would be a different story. The one “fancy” piece of equipment I’ll be bringing is my GoPro, which I think is a useful tool for bridging the gap between wanting to capture a moment and experiencing it. You can’t see what a GoPro is filming or photographing while you’re using it, meaning that you just have to press the button and let it do its thing. You can also set it to take pictures at timed intervals, increasing your chances of getting a good one without having to meticulously line up each shot. I can leave it set up or even use my head mount on the go – the camera sees what I see.
Part 2. Trust and Privacy
You wouldn’t like it if some random stranger walked into your life and started taking pictures of you, would you? Especially if they were from another culture and knew little about yours – you would feel like a museum exhibit, and that’s not exactly a desirable feeling. While I’ve made mistakes in this area in the past, I’ve come to the stance that you need a relationship with someone before you start taking pictures. Now there’s a line, and group events like a festival are different from a private moment, but discernment is important here. It’s also important to know how other cultures feel about photography, and you never, ever want to exploit a person’s image or information for the sake of a story. A person is not a selfie prop.
Now the one caveat to the above is kids – whether they know you or not, I’ve seen in my experience that kids from all over the world absolutely jump at the chance to have their picture taken. They often love posing with their friends or with the photographer, and that’s okay. But when they don’t, you can’t cross the line.
I’m going to do everything I can to respect this principle, which means you may not see a ton of pictures of the people my team encounters on the race. I’m sure there will be a few though – a contact who wants to remember us, a friend we made, the possibilities are endless, but there will be many times where I won’t have pictures, or if I do, they can’t go on my blog or social media. At times, our ministry contact may request we not share any picture publicly for legal or safety reasons, and I would not want to compromise them.
So when you’re reading my blog or looking at my Instagram, and wonder if you’re seeing too many adventures and not enough ministry, remember that what I can publicly share is only a small piece of the World Race. If you’re ever curious what I’m doing outside of what appears on my blog, don’t be afraid of asking directly – I’ll probably be able to tell you more one-on-one.
