Finding Authenticity in Photography

The first photographs
It's been 200 years since the first permanent photograph was taken, a blurry image of the view from an attic window in France. Around a decade later, the first known photograph of a living person was taken as two distant figures pause in a Paris street, connecting people and place for the first time. Barely a couple of years later the first fake photograph was made.

Photography today
Today, we live in an amazing digital world where anyone can take a photograph any time and then use technology to manipulate the image in myriad ways. With an estimated five billion photos being taken every day, most on smartphones, images range from anything to everything—from the majestic and momentous to the truly trivial.

Standing out in a digital world
In a world where photography is ubiquitous and technology so clever, how do we make our images stand out as special? For many, the answer is by making our photographs authentic. National Geographic photographers, governed by strict rules and inspired by a spirit of storytelling, are renowned for capturing authentic moments. And authenticity is what National Geographic photographers Ami Vitale, Kiliii Yüyan, and Matthieu Paley discovered in abundance on assignment in Canada.

What makes Canada real
“The wild places of Canada have this incredible realness and vibrancy,” says Matthieu. “It’s just endlessly inspiring to travel through.” While everywhere has its own authenticity, Canada offers photographers of all abilities endless opportunities to capture authentic moments of people, places, and nature. Known for the openness of its people, its epic landscapes, and its diverse wildlife, Canada is perfect for exploring and experimenting with authentic photography.

Here are some tutorial tips from Ami, Kiliii, and Matthieu’s time capturing authentic Canada.

Ami’s tips

“I take photographs to create empathy for this world, to show how interconnected we are,” says Ami Vitale. “The camera is my passport to exploring the world.”

Let locals guide you
As such, Ami understands the importance of local knowledge. “When I got to Canada, I didn’t know what kinds of stories I’d find, so I let people guide me. I wanted people to lead me through these amazing landscapes and in so doing they shared with me incredible stories about their connection to nature and the world.”

Slow down
“Canada reminded me that authenticity isn’t something we create: it’s something we recognize when we’re present enough to see it.” And for Ami, that means slowing down. “Meaningful photographs rarely come from rushing from place to place. They come from slowing down and seeing what’s in front of you—that’s how you notice the quiet stories unfolding around you.”

Look beyond the person
“It’s not about capturing the perfect portrait: it’s about honoring the ways people are connected to place.” As such, the context of an image is crucial. “A photograph of a person isn’t just a portrait; the trees, the mountains, the landscape are not the backdrop to the story: they are all part of the story. It’s the relationship between them that matters most.”

Listen as much as look
“They say photography is about being an observer of life, but my technique for capturing images is really about listening. When you build a relationship with someone, they will tell you the stories that matter. It’s about quieting yourself and creating space for others to really share and connect with you.”

Kiliii’s tips

“I’m always looking for wonder and surprise wherever I go,” explains Kiliii Yüyan. “And when you’re in rural areas, people and nature surprise you because you are where reality happens.”

Find the extraordinary in the ordinary
“Traveling around Canada, I noticed how deeply connected people are to their place through their regular everyday lives. You have people tapping maple trees or tending honeybees, and these are great opportunities to take insightful pictures of things that are happening in the real world.”

Shoot instinctively
“A great picture only happens because I’m ready for it. And that comes from practice. I often have to shoot quickly and react instinctively, so it helps to have experience to draw on that allows you to recognize when a moment is about to happen and be able to photograph it intuitively.”

Go ultrawide
“To really capture the essence of people and place at the same time I use an ultrawide lens. It forces you to get really close to things, and while it brings real focus on the detail of your subject it’s also capturing the entire 180-degree environment around it, so your subject is embedded in that place. This highlights the inseparable relationship between the subject and its context.”

Make photography tangible
“For me, as a photographer, my experience of the world is sensory and tactile—I want to touch the things that I’m photographing. Traveling in the forests of Canada reminded me of how important it is to touch the bark of the trees before photographing them, to really experience them from a deep sensory level.”

Matthieu’s tips

“It doesn’t matter why you take photographs, so long as it comes from the heart,” reflects Matthieu. “For me, photography is the perfect passport to enter people’s worlds.”

Look for a moment
“When you are immersed in photography, you are constantly scanning the horizon for potential pictures that have meaning for the place where you are and the people you’re with. Some people carry a kind of beauty that fits your aesthetics, and you’ll gravitate toward them.” If you find a promising person, stick with them and take the time to let the moment happen.

Make a human connection
“What excites me is the incredible complexity of humans and how difficult they can be to crack as a photographer.” As well as talking, laughing, and engaging with a person to help them open up, Matthieu likes to maintain eye contact. “It’s quite aggressive to have a camera pointed at you. By lowering the camera so there’s nothing between me and the subject, I’m directly there. And then some magic might happen!”

Don’t distract your subject
That said, there’s a fine path to tread. “You need to be very careful with the amount of attention you give the person you’re photographing. It’s a delicate balance because if you start paying them too much attention, they will feel it and react to it and you might lose that fleeting, fragile, beautiful moment.”

Be respectful
“It’s very important to be as respectful as possible to the people and places you photograph. I think it’s our duty to pay attention, appreciate people’s time, and leave a good impression. I like to learn a few words of the local language as this quickly conveys a level of respect for the people I’m photographing.”