Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to blend in a little more when I travel. If you know me, you know that’s not possible. I was up on a rooftop when I shot this photo during Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala. The men down below spotted me and… the rest is history. People poke their friends, giggle, point, stare, and children have even made fun of me. This tends to happen to me wherever I go when I travel to foreign lands. One thing I’ve noticed while traveling to countries where “tattooed women” aren’t the norm, is that I can always expect the same thing… attention. I’m in no way an attention whore like many other girls, but I must admit, I do have to like it to some extent, right? Maybe liking it is a bit over the top, because take my word, it can get pretty damn annoying. However, as a travel photographer, I definitely use it to my advantage.
A man in Yunnan, China once asked me why I had paint on my arms. He genuinely thought that I woke up every morning and painted pictures on my arms. Now that would be dedication.
I sure don’t have any problems getting a person’s attention, that’s for sure. I told a friend after I traveled through China that if I could feel comfortable in my skin in China, then I could feel confident and comfortable anywhere. While in Forbidden City, Beijing (just after snuffing some art scammers), I found myself surrounded by a few children who started to dance around me, and literally sing songs to make fun of me. The mother sat nearby staring in awe of me. These Chinese “country folk,” as my friend told me, thought that I was diseased and had skin problems… therefore making fun of me. Talk about being out of comfort zone.
