I’m going out on a limb here. I will say that all photographers like to travel and the more exotic the place the more they want to go there. But first before we go any further, let us define exotic. Webster defines it as not native, foreign, having a strange allure, not common etc. So, is Paris exotic, or London ,New York, San Francisco? We have seen all those places in movies, TV, photographs and advertisements that even those who have not been there will be unwilling to put those places in exotic category. The reason for this I assume, is that those places are very accessible. Get a visa and a plane ticket and you are there. Add it to the fact that those places have hotels, familiar food, and relatively secure environment, meaning all the comforts of home.

But discriminating photographers have problems in these familiar places. One photographer tells me that the first thing he does whenever he is in a familiar place is to go to a souvenir shop and look at all the postcards they sell. Those are the photos that he will not take. I used to share the same notion when I first went to Yosemite. I told myself that I will not copy Ansel even if I don’t take any photos at all. But go to Tunnel View during winter or early spring or any early morning, you will see more than a dozen photographers lined up and clicking like there is no tomorrow. I was one of them. I guess I was less discriminating than I thought.

Again, I will go further out on a limb. I think that we want all of our photographs to be unique and different from others who have viewed the same scene or subject and this is the main allure of exotic places. Everything is new to your eyes. But taking pictures is just one of the attractions of an exotic place. To go to a place, any place just to take photographs is like going to a buffet table and just eating what you are familiar with. This means not going out of your comfort zone. Most of us are afraid to photograph places where security is an issue. That is understandable. Except for reporters and photographers that really seek these areas for it is their job or it gets their adrenalin flowing, most of us prefer going to just a few inches out of our zone. Robert Capa once stated that if your photos are not exciting enough, you are probably not close enough. I think this genre is for those who have no comfort zone to speak of.

This article is also about enjoying not just photography in new and/or exotic places but experiencing all the things that come with the place. There is food, culture, people. What is different and what is the same with your own country or place. I recommend that whenever you are in a new place, it does not even have to be out of the Philippines. Try their fruits, native delicacies, preferably cooked if you have a weak stomach. You don’t have to do ALL what the Romans do, but just place your foot or toe out of your zone in order to feel the ocean of possibilities open to you. I guarantee, you will relish the experience even if it was painful, expensive or stomach turning. It will be unforgettable . In Vietnam, I was able to induce Rudy to try their multicolored boiled corn. To say that I was amazed in an understatement. Perhaps Rudy is starting to bloom.

We just came from touring South Island in New Zealand and come back with a new realization about my personal comfort zone. Everyone was driving on the wrong side of the road! I was forced to drive because hiring a driver would shorten our stay to just one day based on our budget. It was scary, confusing and exciting. Both for me and the other drivers I encountered. Signal for a turn and the wipers activate and vice versa. Make a right turn and you face incoming traffic. All rental cars have a large sign on the dashboard that says Look Left! I cannot eat meat pies! Perhaps if they sell it as New Zealand Siopao, it will be more palatable. And Bungy jumping is 10 miles away from my zone. Ditto for Hang gliding, Skydiving, Whitewater Rafting or Luge. It will also be nice if they can speak English and if there is a little dust in the air and litter on the streets.

I wonder what is in store for us in Cambodia?