I don't just take photos

ALSO PRACTICES THE ART OF GIVING THEM AWAY

- CHRISTOPHER BRISCOE

I'm a photographer, and sometimes my travels take me to places where people have so much less than I do. And while I don't believe that taking a person's photograph takes part of their soul, I do feel a pang of guilt knowing that the image I just took is now in my possession. I can post it on social media, use it in my portfolio, or even hang it in my home. The person in the photo is left with nothing more than a fleeting glimpse of the image on the back of my camera. This exchange has never seemed fair.

A decade ago, while planning a trip to the East and Southeast Asia, I came up with a solution to ease my guilt. Epson had just released a photo printer about the size of a shoebox. With a battery, some ink cartridges, paper, and a large backpack, I left home to become a modern-day Johnny Appleseed, ready to hand out snapshots wherever I went.