Tab the photos
Between Travels & Adventures
Julien is 100% fine to say that he always sought to travel in areas where tourists don’t go.
During his trips, his daily concerns had nothing to do with those of backpackers and expats. Looking for a wild camping spot because night is coming, has nothing to compare with looking for a bar for yourself and friends, or what to do for the next weekend, or Facebook groups recommendations like ‘where to eat the best steak in town’, etc.!
The language barrier was also real during his travels & adventures, and he always embrassed this aspect. Did Julien spoke the languages of these countries? Barely some survival words! Do country people speaks English? Not at all!
De facto, this barrier was making his experiences 100% authentic with everyone he was encountering. Taking into consideration things like: who is the first person steeping forward to meet him, or, attention to eye contact and facial expressions, or, who looks curious and scared about him, etc., were crucial clues to have the best and safest experiences among everyone he was encountering.
During months and months, and months of living such situations, Julien’s travels and adventures turned out to be extremely rich in terms of human experiences.
Do the remote country people he met and photographed (also the children), had ever spent time with a westerner before him? Maybe not for the most of them.
To conclude: taking great photojournalism shots wasn’t the purpose of his trips. His photos were meant to be — and simply are — his humble souvenir photos and travel experiences on this new continent!
— “That would be very useful to them if they were to travel some day. Sometimes, “he added,” there is no harm in putting off a piece of work until another day.”