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Poor People in the Streets of Madrid. Plaza Mayor.


the warrior

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I must confess that I find the juxtaposition with your avatar disturbing. Whether that has to do with the social implications or the undoubted quality of the photograph I cannot say. Do we really need 15000 $ of gear to record this condemnation of our society?

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No, I must say I really do not need 15,000 euros to photograph the reality of all our world, but it is what I have and what I use to take pictures.
You all think alike ?.
I have only one digital equipment and a film team, I will not buy a team of 100 euros for other pictures.
I wonder if anything to photograph the beauty we can spend a lot of money and to photograph poverty we only spend a few euros.
My poor deserve to be photographed with the same equipment as the rich.
I am happy not to be poor, I help them by giving them food, never give money, I understand that food when they need it, I also have given them enough clothes to them.
I can not pass up these photographs, we seem to forget that they are living people who are sleeping and living on the floor and we prefer to go by without seeing them.
Occasionally we have to look down our eyes and see that some people are not as fortunate as us to take pictures with equipment of ........... 15,000 euros
But maybe I'm wrong .......

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we seem to forget that they are living people who are sleeping and living on the floor and we prefer to go by without seeing them.

We are on the same page here.

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The discussion should not be about the choice of photographic equipment, but the efficacy of taking pictures of the homeless. 

I don't take pictures of the unfortunate, the disabled (or children for that matter) but for those who do it must be done with compassion and for a reason. In this instance I believe Jhon has done it for the right reason, to make us stop and think how polarised society is today, especially in the aftermath of the banking crisis leading to mass unemployment. It's an appalling scene which is heart wrenching. Jhon is a good man to offer food and clothing but never money - money simply fuels alcohol consumption further driving the individuals from possible help. It matters not what camera the image was taken with, that has no bearing on anything. It should be viewed solely as an image with a social message.

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I give those guys a bit of money and if it's for their alcohol or deugs, I'm all for it.

 

No, I don't expect my money to go as far as to magically change their life.

 

And yes, I take a picture if I find it appealing.

No, I don't expect that my picture will magically change society or awareness. That would be so naive of me.

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This is what says it all "living on the floor and we prefer to go by without seeing them.....

AND......

Occasionally we have to look down our eyes and see'

 

How many people just walk on by....? The vast majority. We don't want to believe they exist and we put it out of our minds on a daily basis, unless...... we are forced to see it and then people complain. It has nothing to do with dollars invested in gear, for even if you sell all your gear and give it away, it goes no place fast. This is a world problem, micro-ized by thousands, depending on how many cities there are in the world.

 

Personally, I don't like taking shots of the down trod but that doesn't mean that someone shouldn't. Show the world....make the case for a better society. 

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My problem isn't with the gear, but the lack of...anything in the photo. It's possible to do good reportage photography on homelessness/refugees/etc but you need to bond with the people you're photographing. This looks like a drive-by shot taken haphazardly without much thought or intention.

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I could care less about the gear or chosen subject. Don't think this image has much impact. There's no moment. The viewer is outside of the frame...in the distance. Maybe waiting for the passers by to get close, exchanging gestures...would be better. Needs a moment.

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My problem isn't with the gear, but the lack of...anything in the photo. It's possible to do good reportage photography on homelessness/refugees/etc but you need to bond with the people you're photographing. This looks like a drive-by shot taken haphazardly without much thought or intention.

 

I do agree with this.... I have no problem from a photo-journalistic view of showing the poverty etc... as this picture does. But I agree...the picture itself lacks 'impact'... It is simply a picture easily taken by anyone...a drive-by...total agreement.

 

So...that begs a question...While there is nothing wrong with reporting on the poverty and blatantly putting it in the faces of those who quickly turn-away...the shot itself needs to be carefully taken to achieve that 'impact' and I don't feel this shot has that Impact... 

 

So Warrior...I am on your side with the taking of the shot...but I feel the shot has zero impact. jim

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Is this 'journalism' though? Is the OP doing anything else with this image other than posting it here? I think we all know there are lots of homeless people around so we don't need to be told that. Living in the London area I see it everyday.

 

However the image here has been done sensitively - we can't see the subjects faces and they're unaware of the camera, so it's not offensive to me in the way that some photos of the homeless are.

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Jhon,

 

a very good photo in terms of a balanced composition and toning. I can recognize its message that people just walk on as can e seen in the backdrop. This is significant for our times. An increasing number of nameless people lying on our streets side by side with those bags is indeed a very stirring sight. 

The question of technical eqipment used for reportage can be neglected as well as the question which pencil is being used by a painter. You simply use those tools which ou feel comfortabel o work with.

A reportage is always personal. If a discussion like this is being aroused then this is showing that the thoughts of the viewer must habe been reflected.

Thanks for sharing this and its debate.

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I read an article some where where a homeless man said that more than money, he would simply like acknowledgement that he exists. Lot of us pass by these people and we are uncomfortable to even make eye contact. We simply look past. May be because we think we are helpless to change things? 

 

I have a photo from one early morning walk in San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf where a homeless man was sleeping with a bag that read "I left my heart in San Francisco". I thought it was very ironic/poignant that this man had this bag praising the very city which treats him harshly. 

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