Wow...
Taken from a forum on the aforementioned topic:
I have traveled quite extensively internationally and being a pro photog I too have encountered this "soul stealing' in both North and SubSahara Africa. In North Africa's Muslim countries I found men more receptive to being photographed than women. On deeper investigation, I found they view all photogs as editorial-magazine photogs. It seems their greatest fear is that the shot of them will be published in a magazine with the result of that shot being found by someone in their village and then displayed in the market. This would cause extreme embarassment, especially if males were viewing the published shot of another man's wife. In SubSahara, ie Kenya, I found this "soul Stealing" to be of economic benefit to the "model". It is "soul stealing" if you attempt to photograph someone, but if you offer "a small modelling fee", suddenly it is ok. Perhaps in East Africa in the past, when photography wasn't understood there was "soul stealing", but in areas frequented by photogs, it is now about money. I have been to Oaxaca, Mexico nine times and have not experienced anyone not wishing to be photographed. If you want an experience, go to Madagascar. Everyone there WANTS to be photographed, and they gain no benefit from it at all if you do some shooting.
Hypocrisy, money, and religion,...all brought together again.
I have traveled quite extensively internationally and being a pro photog I too have encountered this "soul stealing' in both North and SubSahara Africa. In North Africa's Muslim countries I found men more receptive to being photographed than women. On deeper investigation, I found they view all photogs as editorial-magazine photogs. It seems their greatest fear is that the shot of them will be published in a magazine with the result of that shot being found by someone in their village and then displayed in the market. This would cause extreme embarassment, especially if males were viewing the published shot of another man's wife. In SubSahara, ie Kenya, I found this "soul Stealing" to be of economic benefit to the "model". It is "soul stealing" if you attempt to photograph someone, but if you offer "a small modelling fee", suddenly it is ok. Perhaps in East Africa in the past, when photography wasn't understood there was "soul stealing", but in areas frequented by photogs, it is now about money. I have been to Oaxaca, Mexico nine times and have not experienced anyone not wishing to be photographed. If you want an experience, go to Madagascar. Everyone there WANTS to be photographed, and they gain no benefit from it at all if you do some shooting.
Hypocrisy, money, and religion,...all brought together again.