Untitled

Robert Frank would have put the car in front.

Injecting some photography related discussion into the mix, I'd like to thank Ian Greant for a thought provoking comment. Specifically, I'm now wondering if this photo might not have been more warmly received if instead of "474979" as it's title, it had instead been called "What Do You See?" or something similar. Don't get me wrong, the egregious compositional flaws are still there, and regardless of the title I would rate "thumbs down" for this photo. But can a title, or more properly, context, play a *significant* role in our enjoyment of a photograph and thus moderate my or anyone elses reaction to same? I'd really like to see this thread return to photographic discussion, and I'm truly interested in what photo.net members think.

...well, photographically (asethetically) it doesn't work for me. Mostly because he is looking down, and because there is no environmental texture to the shot. He's in the middle of the frame, and appears to be standing in a parking lot or by the side of the road. It looks like a "sneak" shot, taken when he wasn't looking. (I haven't thoroughly read the other comments, so perhaps I am mistaken.) This is such an obvious subject that it leaves me unmoved. I do hope, however, that the photographer gave the guy a buck or two for taking his picture. Once, when I was walking around downtown taking pictures of public art, a down-on-his luck guy on a bus stop bench said, "Hey! I got a photo op for you!" He pulled a "will work for food, god bless" sign out of a battered suitcase he was carrying and held it up. I said, "Hey, great! Let me give you a buck, is that about right?" He said, "It ain't right, but it will do." So, I put the buck back in my wallet, said, "Well, if it ain't right, I won't do it." and went back to shooting public art. Quite an interesting experience, for both of us I'm sure.

naD ,sknaht

 

I needed a good laugh, not that the many posts here haven't provided enough entertainment. As for the pic., it's certainly not his best work, deserves constructive criticism regarding the car, different lens selection etc. It's all been said.

 

My question... Any bets on the subject matter for NEXT WEEKS POW?? I'll put my $$$ on a still life.

Of all the photos in Aldo's folders this has got to be the least interesting. I can't read all the comments already in here, but:

 

Aldo, congrats on POW. Feel glad that you have many even better shots right here on p.n.

Dan, you forgot to post a picture of a mirror so we all could decipher your message!

Of all the 250 comments above I would have to say that Daniels makes the most sense. I spent hours with my Latin / English dictionary to no avail. Then I used lemon juice on my screen and that just added a yellow mask. Then I finally figured it out but now I am dyslectic.

This is a comment that I may not feel the same about tomorrow. There have been so many people claiming that the homeless want to be noticed. I have very little experience of homeless people as I am not in the city much but, with my one recent foray into Sydney, I got the distinct impression that homeless people had the same general wish for anonymity that the rest of us get when in a crowded place. Be it a city or a lift, I am sure that most people don't really want to be noticed and picked out as different. Not taking notice of people living in the street ("becoming blind like other NYC residents" to badly quote another post) is, to me, like not looking in the window of someones house.

 

Obviously a sweeping generalisation but it is my thought for the moment

There's a certain resilience thats built up within me over the years as I moved from the sticks into the city.

Homeless men in my home town were both frightening and fascinating at the same time.

 

Sleeping in stairwells, moving in shadows at the back of empty buildings they smelled of piss, sometimes vomit.

 

Occasionally an Ambulance would pull one away from an accident.

They didn't carry cardboard signs, they didn't beg, they just lived outside.

 

Today, Sydney.

I walk across the city and see several men my age (early thirties). Heads bowed, signs out, black felt tip in neat lines. They'll stop you for change at the platform, some really work a crowd.

 

Have I hardened to these men, do I show less pity?

Sure.

Then I see Beryl On Oxford St.

She's been knocking back Cask wine every day at least since '95.

Sleeping in doorways she doesn't bother anyone all the time. She raves sometimes.

 

Maybe begging just got more competitive.

The first guy with the felt tip must have made a quid.

 

To the POW.

Well sadly the truth has been shadowed by the approach. I'm a skeptic.

Cardboard signs written like 'pity cards' all read the same.

If you're not close enough to hold their hand or ask who they are, then leave them alone.

Homeless photography is often a grotesque form of Photo-tourism, the result no more oustanding than kitsch greetings cards showing fake street scenes.

 

It's an emotive issue that colours opinions of such work, but as a photograph it just doesn't stand up.

Interesting observation Chris, and it reminded me of a different crowd of homeless during the nineteen seventies. There was actually a guy here in St. Louis that held classes on how to panhandle. I know some people will think I am joking but this guy was actually training people how to do this claiming they could make $15 to $20 dollars an hour. While that may have been marketing hype on his part, it did happen. I saw it myself.

"If you're not close enough to hold their hand or ask who they are, then leave them alone."

 

O.K. Chris. In the interests of learning from you (as a former POW "winner"), can you please show me some "good" pictures of homeless people taken by a photographer who was "...close enough to hold their hand or ask who they are?" Do you know for fact that I didn't hold his hand or ask him who he was? Would that fact have made a "difference" in your "evaluation" of this picture?

 

 

"Homeless photography is often a grotesque form of Photo-tourism, the result no more oustanding than kitsch greetings cards showing fake street scenes."

 

Very insightful, thoughtful, and constructive comment. I guess this person should be viewed as the "Elephant Man"....I hope you never, ever find yourself one paycheck away from being in this man's shoe...

P.S. By the way, did you BOTHER to view this picture in the context of the other pictures in the folder? Are all those individuals fakes?

 

These people are only a few miles away from the headquarters of some of the crown jewels of american technology, Silicon Valley. Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle has a net worth which fluctuates by +- 1 billion dollars on a daily basis. We are told that the gap between rich and poor (at least in the U.S.) is ever increasing.

I take photographs of people who trigger a "response" in me. I don't try to psychoanalyze myself when I take a photo (or just before I do). I follow the rule that you have to "seize the moment" in my photography. Kind Regards

 

 

Glad to see you back. Don't take this the wrong way but I think rather than saying, "did you BOTHER..." It may be more contructive to say that you intended for this photo to be viewed as part of a larger project, and then invite people to view your other work. I know you said it earlier on, but not everyone takes the time to read all the previous posts. I think (some) people are making a genuine effort to understand your intentions and there is no need to be harsh when they are slow to see your perspective. I know that's easier to say than do.

this is one of the most powerful pictures I've ever seen....will not be able to forget the effect of this picture long after it's seen....

this is what is called the capturing the moment with the precise details and best effect

perfect composition....the head of the person is not visible and this is giving the picture a perfect emotional tone.....nice

"...people are making a genuine effort to understand your intentions...."

 

Let me assume, for a minute, that that is the case. Why are my "intentions" germane to one's "evaluation" of this picture? If my intentions were nothing more than a desire to take photographs of people in their everyday "life" who "triggered" some type of "response" in me, would that make you like the picture more or less? I'm beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, we don't want to acknowledge the fact that those scenes exist because deep down inside maybe we are fearful that we may end up in that situation ourselves.

Yawn.

Now that Anne Geddes, she's a real genius. And she's sanitized enough for all of us to enjoy with a sanitized smile and a sanitized laugh. Because a baby dressed up like an insect or a piece of fruit is far more wholesome than a real human being with real human needs.

I love the fact that "it" is obviously severely physically handicapped, and yet "it" and its kind deserve nothing but our undying disgust, or resentment, or simply ignorance. The indefinite article is so empowering.

It sure would be nice to get rid of them all. I propose we build large furnaces in which we can put the physically and mentally infirm, the poor and the retarded. That would get them out of the gene pool, for starters. And then we can patent the process. Oh, but there's prior art from the Wild, Wild 40's. But think of the impact it would have on the economy. We could generate electricity to run our computers from their combusting bodies. I'm sure we could patent that. I'm sure somebody will try to.

I really think we should all have a long, hard look at ourselves before we next say the words "human rights". It's a pity they're so emotionally charged, because the greatest atrocities are transparent, and in our very homes.

Obviously, "it" really should just shut up and get a job, I guess cleaning latrines with its tongue. We can teach "it" to be assertive, and give "it" a cubicle and a computer and a coffee mug, and tell "it" to re-evaluate its primary action items in the light of its obvious physical and mental shortcomings. In other words, we can give "it" enough rope to shoot itself in the foot. Then we can all sleep soundly, knowing that one less tax burden prevents us from having more than everyone else in the whole godforsaken world.

Oh, and I think it's a crap photo, with an eyeopening message. Which is more important?

I've taken the last few weeks off from POW, and after seeing this photo I thought I'd just keep my comments to myself--no need to pile on. However, after all of the comments from Aldo, I thought I'd drop a comment (or a "turd" as a previous colleague of mine used to say) so he can go through my hapless portfolio and give me some low scores.

 

Even taking into consideration that awful VW shot, this is by far the worst POW. It's lacking technically, but worse, it's message is so trite (see Mr. Battey and others) and it's impersonal technique so offensive (I used to wake homeless men from the dumpster outside the store where I worked as a teenager--I couldn't imagine taking what's left of their dignity with a zoom lens when their head is down and then disappear by car or foot) that the image makes me angry. It's so clearly exploitative if I had a badge I'd have you arrested for pandering. However, that's not what brought me into this week's carnage.

 

No, it's the photographer's lack of decency. POW is an honor: your work is showcased. Before this week, I can say frankly that I'd have enjoyed sitting down for a pint or more of beer with every single POW photographer and most of the regular contributor's to this strange weekly event (including Tris on his worst post, or Tony when he's too honest, or . . .). However, Aldo, you are an exception. I can't imagine why you keep whining and making strange defenses for your work. You're capable of much better (I noted one shot in particular in your portfolio that was extraordinary).

 

Aldo, if you wish to take part in the critique of your work, give up the defensiveness. If you have technical information of interest, or aesthetic aims to share, or reasons why you made certain choices, great. But the whining and accusations wear thin.

 

Strangely, many (yes, I'm shocked by how many "loved" this) photonet viewers were moved by this shot--try not to further disgrace yourself in their eyes.

Congratulations Aldo for having the most infamous picture on Photo.net.

 

I believe this is the first time the picture's title closely matched the number of replies it received. I've heard that a picture telling a thousand words but a thousand posts?

 

I agree with the guy who wants to see still-life in the next POW.

How about a macro shot of an abandoned shoe in some gutter? Upon reflection I think something similar would serve as an appropriate POW offering. The "committee's" rationale might run, "We've been staring at this for months now and keep coming back to it not only for the stellar technique exhibited by the photographer but because in some mysterious way it makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside." I think that would make for one helluva show.

The popcorn's on me!

I find your work inspiring. The toughest story to tell is a sad one. You've captured an image that few would dare, including myself.

I saw Aldo at the begining of the week. A couple of people were shaking his hand and telling him what a nice shot he grabbed. Aldo looked so proud. Then someone started shouting at him. At first he looked confused. More people joined in telling him his shot was complete crap. Then someone yelled he was a heartless piece of sh$t.

It got ugly fast.

 

As the mob grew, myself and a few others tried to help but it got out of hand so fast there really wasn't much we could do. He tried a few times to regroup and reason with the mob, but it was too late. The last I saw he was kinda half running, half stumbling down a side street trying to get away.

 

I hope he made it.

 

Sorry about that... but this is normal picture. I can't see anything special. Normal, just normal!

If you look at the number of comments posted regarding this photo, I think the adminstrator accomplished their purpose in making this POW, whether you like the photo or not.

Stephen White's perspective makes me feel that many of us have not exercised the compassion

and understanding for Aldo's situation that we demand he bring to HIS unfortunate subjects. It

may not be a perfect comparison, but there has been hypocrisy on our part.

Well, I suppose that being a San Francisco inhabitant I'm all too used to this sort of scene. I see it everyday, and I don't feel that this image tells us anything we wouldn't feel by simply driving past him. Sure, it's a powerful and shocking subject, but I don't think the photographer does much with it. The range of values is nice, but the composition doesn't do anything for me.

 

I would like to see a shot that actually met this man face to face and revealed something about who he is. Not an easy thing to do, but potentially far more telling and affecting than this snapshot.

Having this face hidden, makes this picture anonymous. It's not the picture of a beggar, but a picture of the society, or better, a critique of it. This is what makes the picture 'special' for me.

 

However, I too feel like seeing a snapshot. Could make a good picture in a Salvation-army-like webpage, but IMHO, not here.

 

This picture can say thousand words, yes, but you could have said them before seing it...