Alternatives to Payment

An alternative to payment for photography is to pay them for something else. You can buy products, artwork, or even "chores", for example. On one occasion, I paid a group of kids to clean up the garbage from a street corner so I could take a picture of the scene. They were so happy to be in the shot because they were proud of their work and the fact that they earned some money. Here, everyone is happy, and the idea of photography is the last thing on their minds. Reinforcing productive behaviors and boosting self-esteem has much more positive and a longer-lasting impact.