'Waiting for christmas'

Comments, Critique welcome.

This is another one of the many that I come into contact with while I am out and about doing my street work.

Some of the other homeless especially the younger ones call him 'Santa' I must say that when I first saw him I thought that he was the epiphany of St. Nicolas (in my minds eye) so I can understand why he got the name.

?Santa? although he looks cuddly and lovable is actually a fierce loner and will actually hit you with his umbrella if you get to close, he may look old but trust me he can still take care of himself and if anyone is foolish enough to tangle with him then god help them!

As we are now so close to the festive season I thought I would get out and do more street work than usual and try to get those who want off the streets, off them ? before ?Christmas? so they can start the new year with a fresh start.

I am going back to the Mayors office next week and hopefully put across some Ideas to David Morris the GLA Senior Projects Manager I only hope it will do some good.

 

Regards

 

Now that's a look! Can you give a little more space in front of his foot?

Kind of intriguing, the contrast between the warm "Santa" character we all know, and the way this man resembles that character in looks, but not in spirit, perhaps. One can only imagine how different his life may have been with the "if only" factor and he may have more closely resembled that character of Santa in spirit, too.

Seeing Mickey (or Mini) in the background is a nice touch....

 

His bursting outfit and tattered look are in stark contrast to the modern rolling suitcase and stately use of an umbrella as a cane. Somehow he just doesn't fit the part--I think a wheel is missing from his suitcase.

Thank you Rashid,

 

Kim we can only wonder what if fate had played a different way.

 

Hi Christopher, thanks for commenting and as a thank you I have included the original in colour without the crop.

Hugh, I certainly see why you'd crop in - does a great job of isolating him - though I'll bet you'd like it more with more room for him to "walk into." Great subject.

very nice...

The inhabitant of this place probably would have been better off living on the street, inasmuch as he would have gotten medical attention sooner. He disguised his mental and physical illness almost to the very end, when he came home visibly ill, and still refusing all assistance until he passed away apparently in a diabetic coma. While enjoying street photography, I have increasing reservations about the photography of homeless persons.

John I understand your concern regarding those with homeless & mental health issues especially when it concerns photographing them in the right light.

As you may gather by now most of the people you see in my folder ?On the Streets? are no strangers to me, I know them very well and those that I do meet for the first time I try to establish a dialogue to try to get to know them as human beings and not as the conditions society as a whole deems them.

I am familiar with a few of 'the hidden homeless too, The term hoarders would be a better word as they are not really homeless are they as they have a home in which to live; albeit under cramped and unkempt conditions.

 

You have brought home an excellent starting point here for discussion as many of the homeless that we come across have a tendency to hoard furthermore the difference being that the homeless hoarders bring/take their possessions with them - we see it in the streets with the countless bags & supermarket trolleys as if carrying their burdens with them where ever they roam.

But if the truth be known is that the hoarders come from all classes, backgrounds, age groups etc, In fact I know a lord (Camillus) who is a hoard and who is best friends with 'Liam' a poverty stricken hoard, the difference being here is ?Camillus? is looked upon as being excentric where as ?Liam? is considered nuts!

 

Why do we hoard? Be honest, who out there can say they do not know of or have ever met a hoard, why I myself am constantly wrestling with what I have and what I need, I say to myself rather than throw the item away 'Keep it' as another may need it in future and so my storage suffers.

 

Hoarders have many levels too; starting at the bottom end of the scale we have the uncontrollable hoarders: taking whatever they believe will need or not able to live without.

And at the other end of the scale we see a huge difference (?the controlled hoard') here we see the collectors from all areas -Art, Books, Coins in fact we collect and hoard just about everything but do we really know why?

Is it because deep down we feel that we are incomplete and need these objects in order to stabilize our emotions as religion does for the soul?

 

 

Psychologists believe that this is a behavioural trait that stems from insecurity, but they use this excuse for everything psychological.

I would like to know what you out there the viewer thinks of hoarding or if know of someone who is and why do they/we/you/I do it?

 

Thanks to all the viewers and those who were kind enough to leave comments

 

 

Regards

 

Hoarding gives an illusion of power: more things gives more weight, and weight gives a false sense of strength. Actually the heavier a hoarder gets, the weaker and the more vulnerable to another force (gravity) he becomes. Weightlessness is a better path to power and freedom.

Good morning Hugh, and thanks for your valuable comments the other day on my portefolio.

I don't know what to say. The photo is nice. The crop from the original and the coloring are just top.

 

I find it difficult to take these kind of photos because I'm alway trying to respect the privacy of the subject.

 

Regards,

 

Bram

Because of its climate and location, Tucson has apparently always had a large transient population. While some are of the classic railroad hobo variety, the particular type you illustrate above is resident, and yes, many of them drag around incredible amounts of "stuff" in shopping carts. As their mental conditions deteriorate, ultimately they will be institutionalized, or die on the street. Current estimate locally is that the death rate is around 200 per year..a huge number considering that Tucson's population is around a million, or approaching that number..The interesting observation I note is that the vast majority of them tend to be caucasian, so it could be a genetic problem. Certainly in this person's case his overall mode of dress still indicates a background of some interest. The layering of clothing clearly indicates schizophrenia, which is treatable to some extent. As you can see the image is of some interest, out side of the technical aspects.

I read a little of the comentary regarding reservations about photography of the homeless. I personally have not done any, I live in the burbs of Austin Texas and there are no pedestrian street areas with the homeless on them. The only homeless are the ones who hang out under the bridges and beg at the traffic lights. Having said that - I think its a good reality check to be presented with images of the homeless for two reasons - #1 it keeps us in a frame of mind of thankfulness that we are fortunate enough not to be in the same plight #2 it reminds us that these are real people, walking around with their possessions, heartache, their stories, their smell, their crushed dreams, their sense of worthlessness. Most of all I get from them that somewhere inside the barrier that surrounds a homeless person - that barrier which most non-homeless people are not willing to get inside, there is a real person who has just as much value as I do or my brother or one of my friends. A while ago I made up my mind to always give to those who beg - some will use it for non constructive activities and others it will be lunch or dinner. There is the knowledge somewhere deep inside me that to be less selfish and absorbed with my stuff and more otherly - more focused on those who have no-one to focus on them is like a noble character trait. In that respect sir - I believe you are noble - you are not just out there photographing them and making money off their back with stock photography of them and the like - you know them and have spent time with the human inside the image - this shot is a 7/7 and the photographer "God with skin on" is also a 7/7 :)

First Hugh...great pic...could be darker a tad maybe not.

 

Everyone wants to bleed a bit for the homeless and some choose to get all politically moral as they view from the comforts of their condos. Do you throw money from the highrise to help them out? Invite them to dinner?

 

My view is if its on the street in a public place its a victim of my camera like it or not. They wanna be Bill Gates or the most hopeless creature...thats their choice. The "beyond their control" argument can be countered with...if they allowed themselves to fall so low they have no self esteem left to bother worrying about. People here are not looking at them and laughing...they are empathizing and showing concern..they are getting hope and prayers whether they know that or not....Anyhow i never shoot these people without digging in and giving them a few bucks after. They wanna go buy a drink or grab some food thats their concious decition. Most get a drink...that kinda proves they made a decition on their own to get where they are in the first place and are still capable of doing so. 6/6

I remember a Lady in Santa Barabara some years ago, still attempting to keep up appearance complete w. lipstick and dressy clothing and dragging with her a complete, but very shabby Louis Vutton luggage set, including a large hatbox!! The physical effort must have been tremendous. My viewpoint is that once this level is reached, the law should step in, since they are clearly incompetent. More than likely the expense of treatment woud be justifiable, since independent agencies are able to make a good buck at it, but have a vested interest in NOT getting them off the street. The damage that these folks can do to neighborhoods and buildings in a very short period of time is incredible..http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=2380239

Nice Moment..if u r having his portrait alone, showing more details about his face..pls post it..it will receive better comments/ratings 6/6

Excellent,Bravo!!!!!

Excellent shot, Hugh.

Magical in all respects and wonderful light managing is a difficult light

I have been reading your comments on this man, and homeless in general. I am not sure I understand where you're coming from. In your picture of the old art gallery... you state that the homeless damage a lot of buildings... I have to disagree. Most of the damage I saw was vandalism, probably by some gang thug marking his territory. Yes homeless will go into those buildings seeking warmth or shelter, and you have to "go" somewhere... I have seen buildings burn to the ground because someone lit a fire to stay warm, because the shelter down the road was closed by the government, so I suppose there would be some damage there. But, 'homeless' as you're calling them; I don't believe they are responsible for what you captured. As far as "Santa" here... and the layering of his clothes. I don't think layering clothes is enough to suggest that this man may be suffering from schizophrenia. What I see from his layers, it that it's cold. Look around him, everyone is wearing layers! I feel also from his layers that this man used to be a very productive person. He's wearing a tie. That alone shows some pride still in him. I'm not saying that he may not have a type of mental illness, but we don't know what terrible hardships or losses he may have suffered to bring him to this state. Just because these people don't have a home or the nice things that we may be able to enjoy, does not mean that they should be institutionalized. I think that would be the death of a lot of these free souls. I feel that many of these people can not be helped. But I think that's where Hugh steps in, to try to reach deep into these souls and grasp what tiny thread there may be and pull them back. Then there are those that want the help and once again, they look to Hugh, and he will be there to guide them. So to sit back and say that this is a Solvable Situation... I'm just not sure I get it.

I was once walking along Chelten Avenue with my dog and camera. I saw a man sleeping on a vent on the sidewalk. I pulled the camera to my eye, but could not release the shutter. I could not capture his image for my hobby. I did not know him and somehow it felt wrong for me to photograph him for the sake of a photograph. I AM NOT SAYING THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO CAPTURED THIS IMAGE WAS WRONG IN ANY SENSE OF THE WORD. Maybe it was the mood I was in; i just felt it morally wrong that particular day. Had I planned on chronicaling homeless as part of a photojournalism assignment, I would not have had any quams about it at all.