Homeless, dignity, photography

"Whom are you calling a hypocrite, pray?"

Great phrase for a theatre piece, but as the post it responded to disappeared, it must now remain an orphan.
 
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You images are good and non exploiting. There is a positive interaction between you and the persons in them.

Seriously Lukitas, relax and ignore the noise.
 
Thanks skibeerr.

you're right, I was getting riled up. Another rant was building, like a storm on the horizon.

Thanks Zauhar for that great portrait.
More pictures anyone?

Cheers
 
Dude, I'm right. Right this second there are a bunch of snitchy little creeps sneaking pictures of homeless people, so they can look at them later and chortle over their vast Making The World A Better Place efforts, or alternatively The Gritty Realism Of Their Oeuvre.

Really! It's true!

(Present company excluded of course.)

Dorothea Lange! Dorothea Lange!
 
Ranchu said:
Dude, I'm right. Right this second there are a bunch of snitchy little creeps sneaking pictures of homeless people, so they can look at them later and chortle over their vast Making The World A Better Place efforts. Really, It's true! Present company excluded of course.

Dorothea Lange! Dorothea Lange!

Now, I'm getting pretty bored of that, but if you insist.
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Dude you are right for you and your compass which may but probably is not right for anyone else. Trying to push that on others is just WRONG. There are thousands of wonderful images that have been made by amazing photographers that have done far more to help those in need and those wouldn't have been made if you were the moral authority.
 
skibeerr said:
You images are good and non exploiting. There is a positive interaction between you and the persons in them.

Seriously Lukitas, relax and ignore the noise.
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Now there a sensible fellow who still has the use of his reason and an objective opinion of his confreres.

I agree entirely.
 
Lukitas,

Your original posting was quiet good and would have made for an interesting thread if left to develop on its own.
But, now the well has been poisoned again, making a reasonable discussion impossible.

Anyway, Good work! Thoughtful photos.
 
OP's second and fourth photo are nice, despite me not enjoying the ideas behind the photos.

But I tend to take issue with homeless photosets. Not only is it cliched (I can't tell you how many black and white photosets of the homeless I've seen), I also find it exploitative. Now, that's not always the case, and if your photoset is driving at something more than "look at how happy or dignifed homeless people can be despite their circumstances" or "look at how bleak life can be", it can work. If it's a part of a larger effort to help the homeless, well that's fine. But if it's just for your "art"...well, gag me with a spoon.

These poor people are sitting on the street because they have nowhere to go, not because they are inviting you to photograph them in what can be a lowly state. Mental illness and drug addiction are not uncommon afflictions amongst these folk (as it is often the reason why they are homeless in the first place). If the state can't find the resources to take better care, at least we citizens can practice some empathy and allow them a reprieve from the paparazzi.
 
Samouraï said:
OP's second and fourth photo are nice, despite me not enjoying the ideas behind the photos.

But I tend to take issue with homeless photosets. Not only is it cliched (I can't tell you how many black and white photosets of the homeless I've seen), I also find it exploitative. Now, that's not always the case, and if your photoset is driving at something more than "look at how happy or dignifed homeless people can be despite their circumstances" or "look at how bleak life can be", it can work. If it's a part of a larger effort to help the homeless, well that's fine. But if it's just for your "art"...well, gag me with a spoon.

These poor people are sitting on the street because they have nowhere to go, not because they are inviting you to photograph them in what can be a lowly state. Mental illness and drug addiction are not uncommon afflictions amongst these folk (as it is often the reason why they are homeless in the first place). If the state can't find the resources to take better care, at least we citizens can practice some empathy and allow them a reprieve from the paparazzi.
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Samourai, thanks for presenting your opinion in an understanding, clear, and non-condescending manner. I can appreciate where you're coming from and what you're saying.

Ranchu, maybe take notes?
 
I don't have much patience for it because as we all know, it's been done and so many times. Everyone knows where and why. We all more or less empathize. I don't think pity or empathy for the homeless, which should by all means exist, needs to be reinforced. I think anyone who walks a reasonable amount in a city gets it already.

I would like to see homeless people doing stuff instead. An acknowledgment of their humanity beyond the abject. Rapping bums, bums who draw or paint or dance or sing. Bums can be mean too or pushy or manipulative. What about that side? Extreme poverty tends to make people meaner, not more gentle.

Before I did the homeless as a subject I would want to make damn sure I was actually doing something new instead of indulging the same tropes.
 
Yesterday I was passing a guy who was begging in front of a LCBO (liquor) store, he saw my camera and said "5 dollar a picture bro", I said no thanks and moved on.
 
One way or another photography is inherently exploitative, whatever the subject matter. If I take the time to photograph a pile of rubbish rather than to clear it up I'm exploiting the environment. If I photograph a vase of flowers I'm exploiting the fact that I can afford to spend my time contemplating beautiful things. By owning that expensive camera I'm exploiting the resources that went into making it.

Photographing the homeless doesn't in itself give them an ounce more dignity than they already have and who's to say what a viewer will see in the picture -- poverty, pathos or just someone who should get a grip.

We photograph because it's something we like to do, for whatever reason, so let's not pretend we're doing humanity a favour by revealing something deep and meaningful. Most likely the end result will be seen by a few people on RFF or Flickr who at best will comment 'great photo' before moving on to the next one.
 
Hsg said:
Not really. he was just trying to score.

In the words of John Gotti, 'everybody's gotta score sometime...'.
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This quote has gotten me think ... what did the Afghan girl score from Steve McCurry's portrait of her? How is a homeless person different from folks belong to a minority group or kids living below the poverty line in a third world country? Where do we draw the line?

John
 
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