'Late Riser in Baghdad by the Bay (San Francisco)'

Sleeping in the street in San Francisco's Tenderloin, its

traditional 'tough' district, may be uncomfortable, but some people

know how to make the best out of a rough situation, as this late riser

shows us one wintry morning in a city known for its Mediterranean

climate. Your ratings, critiques, and observations are invited and

most welcome. If you rate harshly, very critically, or wish to make a

remark, please submit a helpful and constructive comment; please

share your photographic knowledge to help improve my

photography. Thanks! Enjoy! john

Strong documentary! Great impact!

Some photographers and social critics condemn photographing the homeless.

In a sense, one of the world's great photographs 'Migrant Mother' never would have been taken if that stricture were followed during the Great Depression.

This is the followup years of the 'Great Recession' and the streets are filled still with jobless and homeless, dependent on soup kitchens and other welfare services for a bite and no shelter for the men at least (women with kids at least usually get shelters).

I belong to the school that says NO subjects are immune when they represent some societal value that needs exposing and can be photographed in some artful way especially.  Here I think the two superimpose.  I got burned a few weeks ago, however, when I posted another photo I thought met those criteria, but raters and viewers did not.

I worried about this one, but apparently not to for good reason. There are some who may yet low rate to object, but they do for in my eyes 'wrong reasons' -- because they want to put social blinders on, or protect the supposed 'privacy' that is gone the instant one is forced to live in the streets and which the great engine of poverty strips one of.  That is why jobs, shelters and social programs have worth -- to restore man's dignity, which we see here is somewhat stripped, but longingly held to by this man -- the whole point of this photo in the first place as he desperately tries to make himself comfortable.

Best to you Sergio, best wishes, and thanks for looking and commenting.

I always appreciate a comment from you; as you can see, it gets my brain working.

john

John (Crosley)

Great moments in photographic history. A street photographer saw a homeless person and decided not to take a photograph.

A little humor of course.

I may take the photos Meir, because it appears in a separate listing of my very best, one of the top five photos of all time, based on clicks of my top 'street' photos (on a service portion that features 'street' only) is a photo most who refrain from shooting street people/bums would have refrained from taking.

On review, it appears, the man, passed out on his back on an incredibly hot day in Kyiv, Ukraine, on stone steps at a Metro/subway (they are different) entrance/exit, had his back to the stone to cool himself, and while passed out still managed to keep his white begging cup upright.

Moreover, he was shirtless, and being Ukrainian and not usually seeing too much sun, his top was very, very white.

Finally, there was a break in the steps and a corollary break in the rail next to him that mirrored the break for the step platform.  In reviewing why that photo has garnered an amazing number of views both on this service and on that service (where it is, as I said, one my my top five of all time), I discovered that his body positioning, exactly mirrored the lines of the steps, with the risers, break for the flat area before the steps marched up again, and the same thing for the brass handrail right next to him.

In opposition, on the side of the photographer nearest the photographer, there are a young woman's attractive legs and feet stepping down, for a contrast -- something I look for in a photo.

In other words, if I refrained from taking that photo, one of my top five of all time (for that service and one of my top photos for this service never would have been taken.)

I try to post only photos that have 'redeeming' social and/or artistic value and possibly in some the two combine.

Sometimes the viewers and raters are the ones who are the best judges of that, and so from time to time a less than perfect photo of such gets posted, while I try to find 'what works' and 'what doesn't' in photos of such people.

I take a lot of such photos that don't get posted, and since I get around a lot in less than tony neighborhoods, I see a lot of bums and homeless that I DON'T even think of taking photos of.

But I never get intimidated into NOT taking such a photo by fear of what others will think.

It's ignominious to be homeless, and part of that ignominy is losing one's privacy.  Once lost, it's foolish to pretend that there is privacy when someone's sleeping on the sidewalk or passed out in front of you.

If it makes a good photo (and perhaps a good artistic or social statement or both), then it's postable in my view.

If not, then it gets stored, or I pass it by, and I pass a lot of such photo subjects by, frankly, as I see a lot of homeless and bums.

john

John (Crosley)