Street People- Life Is Rough

[Scatterbrained]

These are nice shots!
You did chop a tiny bit of the top of the 2nd guys hair off.
I hope you gave them some money or food or something.

I'll never understand people who insist on having the entire head in the shot. There is really nothing of interest above the forehead, you just need to have enough hair to prevent the illusion of an infinite forehead. This brings you closer to the face making the shot much more intimate. David Bailey was doing it in the early 60's and it's been a staple since.

 

[Scatterbrained]

What do you think? These are some homeless I met on my walk in town today. The guy on the left fought in Vietnam and is kinda crazy. The guy on the right was very nice and very sharp. I talked with them for a few then snapped 5-6 photos.

Great shots BTW.

 

[pbelarge]

The photos are good, but I do not necessarily think the capture the rough life these men may exist in as single photos you have posted. I have seen many people who look like they may have it rough, but actually lead decent lives. Life is not always kind...

To capture "rough existance", I think some of the background may help. Commentary seems to always help with this type of photography as well.

are you really serious? I guess you are because the guy on the left sure does look like he has it easy huh. So easy that instead of pulling out his Ralph Lauren Polo shirt, he chose his torn up hoodie. And the guy on the right just chooses to ignore his big beautiful shower he has in his $300k house. Cmon man. :thumbdown:

I am serious as a heart attack.

There are many people whose photograph can be taken to show their weatherworn faces...What I stated is that is does not necessarily mean the image is of a person who lives in destitude as I believe the OP was trying to state. (maybe you should read what I posted, not what you think I posted)

A portion of the background would help.
Remember this post is just my opinion, does not mean we have to agree.

I live in a very populated area. There are faces I see on a daily basis of people who have "lived life". If I did not know better, I would think they could be homeless.
These two photos are strong images, but do not do enough for me to see "homeless men".
Lets not forget that he processed the photos as well, makes for a very strong image.



Javier has a thread over on POTN, you may want to take a look at some of the images there, it may help you understand my thoughts.

 

[shuttercraft]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

[shuttercraft]

The photos are good, but I do not necessarily think the capture the rough life these men may exist in as single photos you have posted. I have seen many people who look like they may have it rough, but actually lead decent lives. Life is not always kind...

To capture "rough existance", I think some of the background may help. Commentary seems to always help with this type of photography as well.

are you really serious? I guess you are because the guy on the left sure does look like he has it easy huh. So easy that instead of pulling out his Ralph Lauren Polo shirt, he chose his torn up hoodie. And the guy on the right just chooses to ignore his big beautiful shower he has in his $300k house. Cmon man. :thumbdown:

I am serious as a heart attack.

There are many people whose photograph can be taken to show their weatherworn faces...What I stated is that is does not necessarily mean the image is of a person who lives in destitude as I believe the OP was trying to state. (maybe you should read what I posted, not what you think I posted)

A portion of the background would help.
Remember this post is just my opinion, does not mean we have to agree.

I live in a very populated area. There are faces I see on a daily basis of people who have "lived life". If I did not know better, I would think they could be homeless.
These two photos are strong images, but do not do enough for me to see "homeless men".
Lets not forget that he processed the photos as well, makes for a very strong image.



Javier has a thread over on POTN, you may want to take a look at some of the images there, it may help you understand my thoughts.

These guys have had a very rough life. The one on the left fought in NAM and came home to a wife's funeral as a result of a drunk driver. This then sent him into a great depression and a life of hopelessness. He looks so beat up because he was attacked by a group of teens wile he was sleeping on a bench in small town Grants Pass, Oregon.

The one on the right was a very up-beat guy that chooses to live on the streets. He has spent most of his life in Pelican Bay for reasons he did not want to talk about. He said the hardest part about living on the streets is how people are disgusted with him. People treat him like he is just a peace of trash. He was very respectful to me and very well versed.

 

[kfin22]

i absolutely love these photos! wonderfully done!

 

[Irishwake]

What is this style of portrait called? I'm mainly referring to what I can only assume is the PP work. While obviously not meant for every shot, it does WONDERS for these men. It really evokes emotion, and to me that is what photography is all about.

I love that you took the extra step and talked to them, the first thing I began to wonder when looking at these photos was what lead to this point in their lives.

Would you mind sharing what this technique is called?

 

[Blake.Oney]

First off I really like the photo's. They are very strong portraits. Good job.
I disagree that a portrait of a man in torn up clothes with some wear on his face portrays homelessness. I understand how some people would think that, but not everyone who is has it awesome is stuck up their own ass and likes all the nicest things. One of my really good friends' father was in a wreck with a tractor trailer and a 7 figure settlement out of it. The guy has it NICE, but I've seen him wear some of the rattiest worn out clothes with holes in them simply because he liked the shirt. His dad is one of the most rough looking people I've ever met. You couldn't look at either of them and even remotely thing that they have millions. That's the reason I disagree with that statement. Taking a picture of someone that looks rough without showing or (as the OP did) explaining their background is the same as taking part of a conversation out of context.

 

[shuttercraft]

What is this style of portrait called? I'm mainly referring to what I can only assume is the PP work. While obviously not meant for every shot, it does WONDERS for these men. It really evokes emotion, and to me that is what photography is all about.

I love that you took the extra step and talked to them, the first thing I began to wonder when looking at these photos was what lead to this point in their lives.

Would you mind sharing what this technique is called?

In Cs5 I duplicated the photo in a new layer and applied a high pass filter. I then set that layer to "overlay". I then went back to the original Layer and dropped the saturation a bit. It gives it the bleach bypass look without destroying your skin tones.

 

[shuttercraft]

No one else has any homeless pictures?

 

[gsgary]

I like them but i think they need to be wider showing the environment they live in, one other thing that bugs me is that a war vet has to live in these conditions he has put his life on the line for his country and his country should look after him in his time of need

 

[pbelarge]

I am also impressed that you had the courage to speak with the men in the photographs, some homeless people are not too stable and one can only guess what they may be capable of.

As has been mentioned, the environment in which they 'survive' in can really help to convey the image of homelessness that you are trying to convey.


There are many locations, but got to a seaside area where there are seafaring fishermen. Take a good look at them, and you may be surprised at how they look.
I worked for one, and he used to really scare me (I was not much older than the OP). When he paid me, he told me it had to be done after dark.... After paying me, he told me that he kept his money in a buried safe by the shore and did not want anyone to follow him to his safe. True story.
P.S.
I worked for him more than once...I was afraid to say no.:mrgreen:

 

[Leilameat]

Beautiful. What sort of pp does this require?

 

[dannystoria]

I love these shots!!!

 

[stroker]

I for one am absolutly disgusted that a war vet that put his life on the line, is living in these conditions. Not only that but the fact that teens beat him up mearly for the fun of it. That man gave everything for his country, and his country gave him nothing in return.
OK now that my rant is over with lets proceed to the photos. I really like them, the way they are taken and they subjects evoke a strong message. I would like to know more about the photoshop process and software you used. To me these people give off the homeless image. I live in a rual area and i know of only one homeless person in the city, he doesnt look near this bad... But, im not exposed to people like this often, or at all. Keep in mind that peoples preception of a shot will differ greatly when commenting(or sometimes having a pissing match).
nice job shutter