Ethan G. Salwen

As sunset approaches, children and adults gather to swim and relax at the Río Paraná in Ayolas, Paraguay.

When it comes to making images, my passion has always been for documentary photography — from beginning to snap away for my high school yearbook as a 13-year-old to photographing the people of Buenos Aires engaged in daily activities 26 years later.

I am attracted to what is called conscientious photography, although I use this term more loosely than most. The best way I can explain the concept in relationship to my photography is that I am drawn to photograph “real people” in “real” situations in a “straight” photographic manner, and to do so in respectful manner that creates empathy, understanding and interest in my subjects by the viewer.

I am particularly interested in the lives of working-class people of “foreign” cultures — from my limited perspective as a person born and raised in the United States. I enjoy trying to find the exciting in the seemingly mundane and to try to make images that invite First-World viewers to not dismiss, gawk at or romanticize those living in the Third

World.When people think of “conscientious photography” they often think of exposé photographs of people living in unjust squalor. I do have an interest in making a difference with my photography, but so far most of my photography has been very selfish — primarily about me making connections with the people I photograph and helping me more deeply explore the world through the act of photography.

If you are not a photographer and live in the United States, the idea of pushing a camera into a stranger’s face might unnerve you. The offense. The liability. The, “I’ll sue you!” However, if you’ve ever photographed people in developing countries in non-tourist destinations, you might have experienced what I have on a regular basis: Photographing a stranger can be a compliment, a way to bring joy and a way to connect in a manner that makes them much less of a stranger.

Lunch at a home in Santiago, Guatemala, illustrates that traditional customs are very much alive among the different highland Mayans.

Although it sounds corny, I believe that when photographing in a conscientious manner in a new community, my greatest value is to serve as a positive representative of the community from which I come.

My attitude is that any image made with a true humanistic sensibility can be considered conscientious — no matter how rich or poor the person in front of the lens.

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Check out some of my favorite images and my favorite videos.