A Banker Whose Photos Tell the Stories of Bronx Prostitutes

I didn't go all the way through his pictures, not my taste at all. They reminded me of the snaps that get circulated around the web of unusual looking people photographed in Walmart, 'shot from the hip', most likely by kids on their mobiles.

When I saw he'd got a Flickr set titled 'NYC Bikes' I was expecting more of the same, but was pleasantly surprised. Not by the photo's but crikey, what bikes!
 
photo4ls said:
Since this guy is financially successful, is he limited for to what photography projects he can have ?
Nelson
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It isn't his financial success so much as it is the economic power that he wields. Like I said before, the worker named Nina who initially refused to have her photo taken and then agreed when he offered her $20 really didn't have a choice but to accept that money.

She is 17, selling her body for sex, and this guy thinks that paying her $20 makes it okay for him to photograph her for his own personal indulgence. How did that action make that woman's life any better? How does that make him any different from a John who wants to pay her for sex?
 
andredossantos said:
People are exploiting other people all the time without even realizing it (especially those who type from their high speed internet on a laptop, in a climate controlled apartment or house in first world countries). To single out one person for taking pictures of prostitutes is kind've naive. The fact that hes a banker doesn't matter at all. That means anyone with a 401K cannot take pictures of hookers either since their retirement is based on the gains of corporate vampires exploiting others.

The photographer seems sincere and besides a flickr stream doesn't seem to be putting this stuff out there or doing this for any sort of personal gain.
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I don't think I can disagree with this. I think its wrong to single him out for exploitation when these points are considered.
 
Creagerj said:
She is 17, selling her body for sex, and this guy thinks that paying her $20 makes it okay for him to photograph her for his own personal indulgence. How did that action make that woman's life any better? How does that make him any different from a John who wants to pay her for sex?
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She is not 17, she tells him she began hooking when she was 17. Not saying this means anything one way or another but figured Id mention it.
 
Creagerj said:
She is 17, selling her body for sex, and this guy thinks that paying her $20 makes it okay for him to photograph her for his own personal indulgence.
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Well, indulgence is another matter - if it was that, it would probably a better deal than she usually gets. But he obviously publishes. If it is reportage, it would not be ethical to pay the subjects. On the other hand, if it is considered modeling for publication, it is something like a magnitude below proper payment.
 
Maybe he'd have better pictures if he'd wait until they (the girls) were smoking the crack he just enabled them to buy...that would give him a good dose of reality instead of this neurotic fantasy genre of going around photographing hookers...crap this is even worse than going around photographing homeless people or something.
 
Does motive matter here?

What if he's a perv that just gets off on seeing women in that situation?
What if he's a genuinely good person that feels he's drawing attention to a sad situation?
What if he just feels like there is a story there worth telling?
 
anu L ogy said:
I don't think I can disagree with this. I think its wrong to single him out for exploitation when these points are considered.
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We are not singling him out specifically. It's just the fact that he got coverage in the NY times and it's a discussion that can extend beyond this one individual.
 
dazedgonebye said:
Does motive matter here?

What if he's a perv that just gets off on seeing women in that situation?
What if he's a genuinely good person that feels he's drawing attention to a sad situation?
What if he just feels like there is a story there worth telling?
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The motives definitely matters, but so is the work process that's carried out. I was actually surprised that he could get any shots without paying. It mentions that he usually pays for food for his subjects. I feel like none of his subjects would want to be photographed if it wasn't because of the compensation, and this would be disgusting.
 
Creagerj said:
How did that action make that woman's life any better? How does that make him any different from a John who wants to pay her for sex?
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She's $20 richer and she didn't have to sleep with him? Seems at least a little less degrading to me. I certainly hope no one here who is on their high horse watches pron...
 
Overcovered and exploitative, yadada...but he isn't putting caption with 4 figure lenses under shots, someone noticed?
 
Creagerj said:
It isn't his financial success so much as it is the economic power that he wields. Like I said before, the worker named Nina who initially refused to have her photo taken and then agreed when he offered her $20 really didn't have a choice but to accept that money.

She is 17, selling her body for sex, and this guy thinks that paying her $20 makes it okay for him to photograph her for his own personal indulgence. How did that action make that woman's life any better? How does that make him any different from a John who wants to pay her for sex?
Click to expand...

Not taking any sides here, although I am not sure I like some of the "class struggle" undertone of some of the discussion here. On a general note, though, if you _read_ the whole article, you'll learn that "Nina" was 17 when she started as a street worker, but is _currently_ 32 (so not a kid)...
 
jsrockit said:
She's $20 richer and she didn't have to sleep with him? Seems at least a little less degrading to me. I certainly hope no one here who is on their high horse watches pron...
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I think that's sort of how I see it.

Are you going to get her off the streets by NOT giving her money? Is this a situation you can have any profound effect on?
Maybe that night, she ate, or got her drugs, without risking all that she normally risks?
 
Amazing that in 40 posts, nobody has commented on his photos yet. IMO, if you browse them on flickr, they show that he cares. Not that his motivation matters in the first place, IMO. What matters is if the girls feel exploited and obviously they don't.

Also, how does his day job have anything to do with his subjects being exploited or not ?
 
Phantomas said:
Coz everyone knows hookers/homeless are not regular people, therefore shouldn't be photographed.
This is an endless discussion that pops up here every other week and doesn't lead to anything.
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Just want to point out that this case is different:

Chris Arnade engages in discussions with his subjects, asks them for permission, helps them with money, and even goes back and gives them prints. When you look at his flickr photos and the acompanying text, they are respectful and fine.

Not the average "street shooter" doing lens tests. Chris does exactly what the membership here usually suggests when it comes to photographing the home-less.

Roland.
 
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