I'm not bad, just broke and hungry

[RBSinTo]

Taken downtown here in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. The sign tells it all.
Nikon D3
zoom-Nikkor 24~70 2.8 AF-S G ED
2.8 @ 1/1000th ISO 200

[wilgk]

A thought provoking image Robert.
I am currently watching a documentary series here on TV ‘Filthy, Rich & Homeless’
Australians of prvelege, money and or power... but decent humans, live the life of the homeless in Sydney.
It sounds naff, but it’s not reality TV as one would expect, it’s actually a lot like your image - thought provoking.

My only critique on the image would be, could it be stronger if a passerby were more in the scene & ignoring the young man seated.

[MrB]

Coming across a scene like this can be difficult emotionally and rationally, as there are cases in the UK of "professional begging". It is sad to see his plight, although his gear and clothing look good, and he appears to be neatly groomed. Let's hope his current situation is temporary (perhaps a tourist who has run out of cash), and that he soon gets back into the mainstream of life.

Philip

[FootLoose]

Coming across a scene like this can be difficult emotionally and rationally, as there are cases in the UK of "professional begging". It is sad to see his plight, although his gear and clothing look good, and he appears to be neatly groomed. Let's hope his current situation is temporary (perhaps a tourist who has run out of cash), and that he soon gets back into the mainstream of life.

Philip

FWIW, we have mobile laundries and mobile showers/bathrooms that visit the areas homeless people hangout so that they can wash their clothes and clean themselves up, so "looking good" isn't really an indication of their situation. People from all walks of life can suddenly find themselves homeless through an unfortunate chain of events.

Good capture, Robert, it tells a story. Hope you slipped him a few dollars for the photo opportunity.

[george013]

And he still got some humor. There seem to be a smiley on the board.
One remark about the picture. That board seems to hang somewhere between that guy and that big board. I miss the hand holding it and making it part of him. Hard to think of at that moment but easy to mention afterwards.


George

[DanK]

A good capture and a poignant image.

My one suggestion would be a crop. The guy in bright red is irrelevant and draws the eye, and the interesting part of the scene occupies a fairly small part of the whole. Unfortunately, getting rid of the guy in red leaves an awkward aspect ratio:



Changing that leaves a pair of disembodied legs:



An alternative might be B&W, which at least would get rid of the distracting bright red.

[jonjdoe]

I think the pedestrian in bright red helps tell a story.

[mugge]

I think the pedestrian in bright red helps tell a story.

Agree.

[FootLoose]

I think the pedestrian in bright red helps tell a story.

Yes, I agree with John and Ole. The pedestrian's back is half the story.

[RBSinTo]

Kay, Philip, Greg, George, Dan, John, Ole,
Thank you all for commenting, and suggesting crops.
As an aside, it is interesting that depending on where this was posted, the discussion is either crop suggestions or a philosophical discourse on worsening homelessness, especially in large cities. But I digress.
The shot was not taken from the ideal vantage point as we were on the concrete sidewalk, and it hurts too much (four knee operations and no cartilage left) for me to get down low to shoot from the subject's position, so a squat was as good as I could do. I deliberately shot wide open to emphasize the subject, and throw the approaching person out of focus which would make them anonymous (or is it anominous??). The person walking away already was. My biggest problem was of course the crop. I tried a number including one that was similar to Dan's, which I rather liked, (and in retrospect still do) but felt that the inclusion of the two other figures somehow made the story more complete, so in the end went with it.
There is no "right" answer, but just opinions and the crop that was kindly suggested is an equally good solution, and I thank you for taking the time to suggest it, and to the others for commenting.
Robert

[DanK]

It's not an accident that the discussion here is more about the image rather than the social phenomenon. That doesn't necessarily reflect which is more important to participants here. This is a photography learning forum, devoted to learning more about photography, so that is what many people here focus on in their comments. Also, another exchange not all that long ago resulted in a strong admonition from one of the moderators that this forum is not maintained for political discussions. I personally took that to heart, which is frankly hard to do given the appalling state of US politics today. Talking seriously about homelessness is much more political than philosophical; it has a lot to do with economic policy, housing policy, tax policy, and so on. Where I live, for example, there are several factors that impede building the needed low- and moderate-income housing. So, I stayed away from that and focused on crops. And I agree with you there: there is no "right" answer.

[MrB]

Surely one aspect of photography inherent in this type of shot is the story that the photographer is attempting to encapsulate, and/or the story that the viewer sees in the image, so both types of commentary should be valid and welcomed, i.e. regarding (i) the technical and aesthetic qualities of the photograph, and (ii) the social/philosophical/political messages implied by the photograph.

Philip

[RBSinTo]

Dan and Philip,
My comment was in no way meant to imply that I prefer one line of comments over the other. On a photo site I feel that both are necessary for the site to be successful, and to that end I am opposed to the philosophies of certain photo sites that forbid discussions or comments on politics or religion, forbid images with nudity, and instead slather themselves in vanilla.
Robert

[lovelife65]

As has been said in regards to others who have posted photos of the "disenfranchised", this really IMO is a snapshot that could have been taken in almost any city. Certainly tells a story, but it's one so common, so really not so unique ... just my .01 cents worth.

[RBSinTo]

As has been said in regards to others who have posted photos of the "disenfranchised", this really IMO is a snapshot that could have been taken in almost any city. Certainly tells a story, but it's one so common, so really not so unique ... just my .01 cents worth.

Sharon,
Thanks for commenting.
I agree this picture could have been taken literally anywhere (in the English-speaking world at any rate), and isn't unique. It was the sign's message that attracted me, as it was an attempt to counter the demonization of homeless persons as being some how less than decent individuals. As for the basic composition, your observation is correct in that I've got pages and pages of slides of shots like this one taken over the last twenty years.
robert