The People Behind the Photography

Overheard at National Geographic

National Geographic

Science, Society & Culture

4.5 • 10.1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 December 2022

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

National Geographic photographers seldom do their work alone, especially those who journey out to far-flung places. This week, we’re shining a light on local collaborators—people whose names don’t show up in the credit line for a photo but who are key to helping our photographers get the breathtaking shots you see with our stories. We’ll hear about their extraordinary adventures—which include fighting off an alligator to save a camera—and how they’ve helped photographers navigate and understand cultures that aren’t their own. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? Want to meet more photographers and their collaborators? Take a look at Jen Tse’s article on the subject to read about other amazing collaborators in the field. Wondering why Malia Byrtus was out dealing with alligators? Florida has some amazing plants and animals. Check out writer Douglas Main’s story on Florida’s wildlife corridor to learn more about the quest to protect them. Plus, Daniella Zalcman’s reporting on Indigenous people in North America paid off in her project, Signs of Your Identity. Learn more about the legacy of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools in her article. Also explore John Stanmeyer has an amazing treasure trove of photography, covering Indonesia and beyond. Check it out at stanmeyer.com. And you can follow me on Instagram @jordansalama19. If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Slack. With Slack, you can bring all your people and
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0:26.9	Slack.com slash DHQ.
0:35.9	I met Haryanto on my first visit to Indonesia in 1998.
0:41.4	That's John Stanmeyer, a photographer at National Geographic. That year he was covering mass
0:46.8	riots in the country, triggered by economic collapse when he met someone who would change
0:51.4	his life. I was exiting the airport and countless men would come up to me and say, taxi, taxi.
0:58.4	I went outside the airport and sat on a bench in a little quiet corner and just had a cup
1:04.5	of coffee, just sitting thinking. And up came a very gentle man, very calmly walking.
1:12.0	And of course, said, taxi. And I said, no, thank you, sorry, I don't need a taxi. And he
1:17.2	sort of sat at a bench nearby and was very kind and didn't bother me about the taxi
1:22.7	anymore and just sat there.
1:25.7	The man paused for a few moments and then gently started asking John other questions.
1:30.5	Do you have children? Who's your family? How are you? And no pressuring about a taxi,
1:37.7	whatsoever. And he said, well, I'm going to go now. Nice to meet you. I said, well,
1:43.9	nice to meet you, Harry. I said, but where are you going? And he said, well, I got to go
1:49.4	and see if I can find somebody to drive into the city. I said, Hey, Harry, I need a taxi.
1:56.9	And so began the 10, almost 15 year relationship with this kindest gentleman, very street smart,
2:05.8	but wiser than wise of anyone I'd ever met who brought me deep into the Indonesian culture
	...

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