Hardened

[bribrius]

he looks like half the people that live up here in maine.

 

[DirtyDawg]

The discrimination here is offensive. If a picture of a person who has a job and a home is posted we don't debate compensation or exploitation. So why do people in this case. That in itself is discriminatory and shameful. This man doesn't need anyone here to stick up for him. Maybe having another human (the photographer) talk to him respectfully for a few minutes was payment enough. Others proclaim to know what's best for this person or whether he is being exploited; nonsense!

If one of you encounters me in a public area and asks my permission for a photo, I can decide on my own whether to allow that or not and I don't need anyone else's "help" determining if I was properly compensated or exploited. This is a photo of a man, no more, no less. I don't see anything special about it but I'm not put off by it either. The discussion on the other hand is disappointing to say the least.

 

[robbins.photo]

The discrimination here is offensive. If a picture of a person who has a job and a home is posted we don't debate compensation or exploitation. So why do people in this case. That in itself is discriminatory and shameful. This man doesn't need anyone here to stick up for him. Maybe having another human (the photographer) talk to him respectfully for a few minutes was payment enough. Others proclaim to know what's best for this person or whether he is being exploited; nonsense!

If one of you encounters me in a public area and asks my permission for a photo, I can decide on my own whether to allow that or not and I don't need anyone else's "help" determining if I was properly compensated or exploited. This is a photo of a man, no more, no less. I don't see anything special about it but I'm not put off by it either. The discussion on the other hand is disappointing to say the least.

Ok,well this is a bit of an emotionally charged subject but I think there might be an important component you're missing in your analysis of the situation. A good portion of people who are homeless and living on the streets are doing so because they suffer from some form of mental illness that has gone untreated. Many of them try to self medicate with drugs or alcohol.

I don't know the man in the picture and I can't be certain what his particular situation might be, but I do understand and appreciate Lew's original point - if the shot had been of the man in the context of a larger story that the photo conveyed that would be a much different situation than simply a shot that focused solely on the man himself, depicting nothing but his own personal hardships.

Just my 2 cents worth of course, take it for what it's worth.


(Grammar correction courtesy of Lew - Thanks Lew!)

 

[The_Traveler]

I see many aspiring street photographers on the web who merely take photos of homeless people down on their luck and label their images as “street photography.” I feel bad for these aspiring street photographers, as they simply use images of people who are experiencing poverty as a crutch for their own photographic shortcomings.

http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/01/26/are-there-any-ethics-in-street-photography/

Taking pictures of the homeless is exploitative in the same way that talking an intellectually challenged person into doing something is exploitative because, in both cases, their circumstance doesn't give them the perspective or the options to say no that most of us have.And it is done because the photographer knows the emotional appeal of this kind of picture and, instead of working on his/her own to show us something new, has taken the cheap and easy way.
Recently I read a blog post by Alex Garcia, a photojournalist from the Chicago Tribune, and he made this statement that rings true for me as a photographer about most pictures of the homeless : "a subject shouldn't become a symbol and a shortcut for an unrelated truth that a photographer has failed to capture elsewhere." ( in The Age of Fauxjournalism by Alex Garcia)

An essay of mine.

 

[scotts2014se]

The discrimination here is offensive. If a picture of a person who has a job and a home is posted we don't debate compensation or exploitation. So why do people in this case. That in itself is discriminatory and shameful. This man doesn't need anyone here to stick up for him. Maybe having another human (the photographer) talk to him respectfully for a few minutes was payment enough. Others proclaim to know what's best for this person or whether he is being exploited; nonsense!

If one of you encounters me in a public area and asks my permission for a photo, I can decide on my own whether to allow that or not and I don't need anyone else's "help" determining if I was properly compensated or exploited. This is a photo of a man, no more, no less. I don't see anything special about it but I'm not put off by it either. The discussion on the other hand is disappointing to say the least.

I really dont think you could be able to feel or know what this man is willing to put himself through with $1000.00 worth of camera and equipment hanging around your neck. Just because you can afford to choose when and who can take your picture, doesnt mean this guy can. This picture says "I'll do what ever you want for some change". In no way do I see this man ok with having his picture taken. It would be a great picture if it were panned back to reveal him pushing a wheel barrel full of money or gold.

 

[HughGuessWho100 15]

Just how do we know from the picture that the man is poor or homeless? Furthermore, what does it matter? Seems to me that jumping to said conclusion is a bit discriminatory in the first place.

 

[The_Traveler]

Just how do we know from the picture that the man is poor or homeless? Furthermore, what does it matter? Seems to me that jumping to said conclusion is a bit discriminatory in the first place.

Trying to win an argument either by being disingenuous or claiming somehow that you are being 'discriminated' against won't work.

I posed this question before and no one has responded.

If this man was your son or brother or father and he was having a really rough time with life, would you take his picture and put it on the Internet so people could see just how bad he looked?

 

[scotts2014se]

Just how do we know from the picture that the man is poor or homeless? Furthermore, what does it matter? Seems to me that jumping to said conclusion is a bit discriminatory in the first place.

Take your pick, the title, the pic or the description. What did you think the picture was stating? Being that one is worth a thousand words and all.

 

[Gavjenks]

This isn't being displayed on a billboard in Times Square. It's on a photo forum being seen by I dunno, tens of people? The dude already hangs out in public and is seen by tens of people and interacts with them, etc. He's not hiding under a bridge. So what's the difference?

So:
-The exposure is pretty low
-There's a really high rate of discussion and thought provocation for the amount of exposure
-Therefore, overall very effective and reasonable photograph, I think.

And even aside from any of the above stuff: He is looking at/near the camera and knows about the photo, seems to not have a problem with it. That simply in and of itself = morally fine photograph. Unless the photographer was blackmailing him or he was super inebriated or something, I think it is a bit insulting to say he's being "exploited" with no other information.

Dude can decide for himself if he wants to be in pictures.

 

[HughGuessWho100 15]

Trying to win an argument either by being disingenuous or claiming somehow that you are being 'discriminated' against won't work. I posed this question before and no one has responded.

Now explain to me how my comment was disingenuous.
My question was, why do you assume the man is poor or homeless? Where I live, I see people that look and dress similar to this man, that are, in fact, quite well off.

 

[The_Traveler]

I posed this question before and no one has responded.

If this man was your son or brother or father and he was having a really rough time with life, would you take his picture and put it on the Internet so people could see just how bad he looked?

There are all these people here who seem to think that this is a small deal but no one wants to answer this?
So it's a small deal because 1) hardly anyone sees it, 2) the guy doesn't seem to mind 3) he's in the public view already - and the biggest one seems to be that he's not anyone's friend or relative.

You guys are ethically challenged and really disappoint me.

 

[HughGuessWho100 15]

Take your pick, the title, the pic or the description. What did you think the picture was stating? Being that one is worth a thousand words and all.

That answer means nothing. The title, nor the description, mention his financial or living status. All I read is "Hardened", that he is a nice guy and lives in the city. Homeless is purely presumptuous.

 

[Bossy]

Duh people, only Lew is allowed to shoot street photography.

OP its lovely. I wish his bill wasn't in his eye, but besides that, theres a lot of life in this image and its great.

 

[The_Traveler]

My question was, why do you assume the man is poor or homeless? Where I live, I see people that look and dress similar to this man, that are, in fact, quite well off.

Well then, ask them if they want to be shown on the Internet looking like this and then take their picture.
Do you really think that this guy was chosen as the subject because he was a rich man in disguise - or because he looked like hell and would put some emotion into an otherwise crap shot.

 

[Bossy]

Take your pick, the title, the pic or the description. What did you think the picture was stating? Being that one is worth a thousand words and all.

That answer means nothing. The title, nor the description, mention his financial or living status. All I read is "Hardened", that he is a nice guy and lives in the city. Homeless is purely presumptuous.

I didn't read it as homeless either actually. Here in ruralsville most of the men over 40 look like that, and half make more than I could ever dream to.