Gill

[Black_Square]

I have seen Gill wandering around town on numerous occasions, although never really had an opportunity to speak with her. I have always assumed she was homeless, and this she confirmed when I bumped into her at a local soup kitchen. The soup kitchen is run by a local charity and provides food, clothing and basic medical care to vulnerable people every Sunday morning.

I had my dog (Winston) with me, and as soon as Gill spotted him she made a beeline over to ask whether she could stroke him, which of course I obliged. Gill was great to speak with, and was very proud to say that she was free from drink and drugs which she frowned upon. It's always difficult trying to understand what circumstances lead a person to become homeless, and it was something I didn't want to broach with Gill. Whilst she was very friendly and easy to talk with, i could detect a nervousness below the surface. This meant that she found it difficult to focus on the camera and had a tendency to repeatedly look away. Nevertheless, she remained adamant that she wanted to be photographed, especially if it meant raising the plight of homelessness in Bristol. I assured her it would.

Thanks,

 

[Jeff1547 47]

Wow, that's a lived in face.....

 

[Donde]

Nice essay.

 

[jcdeboever]

Excellent . What a way to brighten up a day. I guess this is a way to bring heaven down here, to earth. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

Another interesting face from you.

 

[enezdez13 4]

Fantastic image albeit the sad circumstances of the subject...

 

[jcdeboever]

I'm not convinced it's a sad circumstance. Maybe when considering how I want to live my life but the many homeless people I have met, choose to live this way. I consider it another way to live.

I like the fact that an artist can reach out to connect with someone, gain their trust, and produce an image that is compelling, visually. I think if he didn't give the story behind it, one may not even consider the persons lifestyle. IMO, this is where the image shines. It doesn't exploit the circumstance but honors humanity.

 

[Black_Square]

Wow, that's a lived in face.....

Yes, she certainly has!

Nice essay.

I'm really pleased you enjoyed reading it.

Excellent . What a way to brighten up a day. I guess this is a way to bring heaven down here, to earth. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks JC -very nice words.

Another interesting face from you.

Cheers Dean

Fantastic image albeit the sad circumstances of the subject...

Yes, the circumstances appear sad, but I think all in all she's in a good place.

I'm not convinced it's a sad circumstance. Maybe when considering how I want to live my life but the many homeless people I have met, choose to live this way. I consider it another way to live.

I like the fact that an artist can reach out to connect with someone, gain their trust, and produce an image that is compelling, visually. I think if he didn't give the story behind it, one may not even consider the persons lifestyle. IMO, this is where the image shines. It doesn't exploit the circumstance but honors humanity.

Thanks JC - very wise words

 

[Gary A.]

I do love your stuff ... this is no different. Are homeless a large problem in Bristol? Out here, Los Angeles is being overwhelmed by the homeless. It is considered a crisis.

 

[Black_Square]

I do love your stuff ... this is no different. Are homeless a large problem in Bristol? Out here, Los Angeles is being overwhelmed by the homeless. It is considered a crisis.

Hi Gary, thanks for the comments. To answer your question, yes, homelessness is a major issue in Bristol as well as other cities in the UK. I'm unsure as to what is driving this, as we currently have record levels of low unemployment, and currently a deficit in workers for available jobs. I can only assume that given the 'austerity' measures that have been introduced since the 2008 recession, there has been a gradual erosion of front line services that are provided by local councils and which has meant more people have slipped through the safety net. It does raise questions, especially given that we both reside in G8 nations.

 

[smoke665]

@Black_Square you always have a way of bringing the inner person to life in your portraits. So real!!! Homeless people are a dirty little problem everywhere. The recession started the slide in the this country, that has overwhelmed services, and after awhile it became a life for which they were unable to recover from. While many tout all the services available the reality is that a lot of it is mostly lip service and little action, leaving the homeless to wander.

 

[DanOstergren25]

Great story and well done portrait.

If I may critique, there seems to be a soft halo effect around many areas of the hair, where it looks like you removed stray hairs and painted in black, but didn't get close enough to many of the locks of hair to make the effect believable.

 

[Black_Square]

Great story and well done portrait.

If I may critique, there seems to be a soft halo effect around many areas of the hair, where it looks like you removed stray hairs and painted in black, but didn't get close enough to many of the locks of hair to make the effect believable.

Hi Dan, yes, you're quite right to point out the hair. To be frank, it was a bloody nightmare trying to sort out. To say Gill had wild hair is an understatement, compounded by the fact that it's grey, and was shot against a grey sky due to the wide angle. I spent hours with various extraction techniques in Photoshop, and got the 'best results' extracting against a channel layer combined with trying to blend it out by hand. I do intend to do more work burning it in although i was close to tears by the end of it. Lesson learned - always pay attention to your background! Thanks for the feedback

@Black_Square you always have a way of bringing the inner person to life in your portraits. So real!!! Homeless people are a dirty little problem everywhere. The recession started the slide in the this country, that has overwhelmed services, and after awhile it became a life for which they were unable to recover from. While many tout all the services available the reality is that a lot of it is mostly lip service and little action, leaving the homeless to wander.

Thanks Smoke. I agree, although i do have some sympathy for local services as ultimately it is central government withholding the funding, although I do suspect mismanagement of the public purse at the local level has exacerbated the issue.

 

[Gary A.]

I do love your stuff ... this is no different. Are homeless a large problem in Bristol? Out here, Los Angeles is being overwhelmed by the homeless. It is considered a crisis.

Hi Gary, thanks for the comments. To answer your question, yes, homelessness is a major issue in Bristol as well as other cities in the UK. I'm unsure as to what is driving this, as we currently have record levels of low unemployment, and currently a deficit in workers for available jobs. I can only assume that given the 'austerity' measures that have been introduced since the 2008 recession, there has been a gradual erosion of front line services that are provided by local councils and which has meant more people have slipped through the safety net. It does raise questions, especially given that we both reside in G8 nations.

Here in California, extensive studies have been undertaken on our problem(s). In Los Angeles County alone, there are approximately 50,000 homeless. It is considered a "crisis" here and some local governments are addressing the issue with a massive move on housing for the homeless ... while other local governments are clearing out homeless encampments with no action on alternative housing. Unfortunately, there is no single, simple answer to the crisis.