INSTAPUNDIT’S AFGHANISTAN PHOTO CORRESPONDENT Maj. John Tammes sends this photo, and this report, from Bagram:

I happened to go into one of the camps on our base to take some photos of construction. When I was taking my shots, one of the painters from the villages around base came up to me, and using his 6 words of English (and my 4 words of Dari) he managed to ask me to take a picture. I thought he wanted one of himself, and that was OK. Instead, he brought one of the older fellows from his crew over and I got the message. Here is the photo of them. I went back to the office and printed an 8 ½ x 11 in color for them, and put it in a plastic cover. Later, I returned to the camp and found the pair. Their reaction was rather enthusiastic. I gathered that this was actually the first picture of himself that the older man ever had (through our 10 common words and many gestures). I ended up doing the same for the whole crew. I guess I am now their team photographer.

The wonder of ubiquitous digital photography. And printers!

UPDATE: Reader Peter Lawrence emails:

When I was in Sudan in 2002 as part of the Joint Military Commission Nuba Mountains* I carried my Olympus Camedia everywhere. I took images of my guards, guys loading the WFP planes (which I was inspecting to ensure no weapons were not being loaded) and anytime I met anyone official. I made it a habit to make hardcopies of the images using my inkjet printer. I would either give the images directly, if the fellow was senior, or pass it to the most senior fellow in the group if there were many (giving the senior fellow status). They were both a form of building friendship and a currency of sorts.

You would not believe the goodwill doing such engendered. Tremendous!

I would, actually.