Home is where you make it

[RBSinTo]

Taken recently in Chinatown here in Toronto.
This homeless Chinese man spends most of his time in a few square block area of this particular neighbourhood, and is most often to be found very close to a local coffee shop where he is allowed to refill his cups and used the washrooms.
He is another of the many very resourceful street people who seem to prefer to live on the streets rather than use the local shelters
motorized Nikon FA
Nikkor 24 f2 AIS manual focus
Fuji 100 ISO colour slide
5.6 @ 1/125th

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured, the utilities nearby seem like they could be functional amenities for the man.

[RBSinTo]

Nicely captured, the utilities nearby seem like they could be functional amenities for the man.

Thanks John.
I can always count on you for a comment.
I suppose the pipes and meters could serve as shelves to keep some of his possessions off the ground when it is wet or snow and slush covered.
I included them to give his environment some context as well to serve as leading lines into the shot and to him.
Robert

[Manfred M]

Robert - I have really mixed feelings about images like this one.

I can understand why some people do photography this, but on the other hand, I worry about how I present something like this in a way that does not look like I am either making a value judgement about the subject or being exploitative of the person's situation. I guess that is why I have not photographed street people.

I run into the same issue when I photograph people in developing countries. I've seen too many images where people seem to be treated almost as a caricature. I want to ensure that I treat my subjects with respect and that this aspect comes through in the image.

[RBSinTo]

Robert - I have really mixed feelings about images like this one.

I can understand why some people do photography this, but on the other hand, I worry about how I present something like this in a way that does not look like I am either making a value judgement about the subject or being exploitative of the person's situation. I guess that is why I have not photographed street people.

I run into the same issue when I photograph people in developing countries. I've seen too many images where people seem to be treated almost as a caricature. I want to ensure that I treat my subjects with respect and that this aspect comes through in the image.

Manfred,
The issue you raise is one that has been discussed at length many, many times on internet photosites, and was described by one person who clearly was opposed to it, as "the low-hanging fruit on the street photography tree."
I have been photographing homeless people mostly here in Toronto, for about twenty years and my motivation has always been to make these people visible to others. I do not feel that I'm being exploitive of their situations any more so than I am of anyone else whose candid photos I take, and I am never judgmental of their circumstances either in my photos or the captions that accompany them. I only try to tell stories with pictures. Nothing more.
I must and do respect the decision by others who choose not to take pictures like these, but will continue to do so when I feel the circumstances are worthwhile.
Robert

[Andrew1]

A group of us did street photography downtown twice a month here and in the last city I lived in worked right downtown. In both locations most of my activity was in and around the local Chinatown. A great place to take photos and talk to the people.

More than once it has been brought up how rare it is to see a Chinese street person. Yes there are always the few who collect bottles and cans but I don't ever recall seeing obviously homeless people in those areas. I'm sure the importance they place on assets and especially family responsibilities account for most of it but I have to believe the community also has a hand in making sure those who need the support receive it.

[Manfred M]

I fully understand your position Robert and I don't think you need to apologize for what you photograph. It's more my issue and I was really questioning my own photography and subject selection more than yours.

I remember pouring over the work of Brassai, Wee Gee and Diane Arbus when I had just gotten into serious photography. It was almost a love - hate thing. I was intrigued by their subject matter, but turned off by their voyeuristic style and approach to the sub-class of society that they were photographing.

When I figure out a way of representing these people in a way that is acceptable to me, I expect I will start photographing them.

[Rebel]

I think this is a very good image, the colours and composition are great.

My eyes followed the yellow pipe all the way round which led me to the main subject.