HOMELESS IN NEW YORK

[LONDONER]

I think I took this photo in 2011 with an Olympus 5050, my first digital camera. 

I took the shot from behind because I didn't want to embarras the man for his poverty.  I originally posted it on a totally different forum and one person replied:

I keep coming back to this image because I don't know how it makes me fee.

It is certainly socially challenging, and that is totally correct, it has made me angry and sad. Im not convinced that converting to Mono has made it more powerful or improved it?
I have come to the conclusion that I had to accept it is a simple but powerful conscious prodding image and reminder that we could all possibly do more for these poor people.
I would love to know your thoughts and emotions when you dropped the shutter and what effect it had on you.
I love the image and hope it causes much discussion.

Then someone else commented:

This is an one of the best emotion-packed images I've ever seen in the "street photography" genre.  Thanks so much for sharing such a powerful image. You certainly have a good eye for capturing emotion.

   

   

[CellarDweller]

such a difficult subject matter. Pictures like this make you think. Thank you for posting this.

[LONDONER]

Thank you @CellarDweller, yes, photography is not just about making good images.  This particular image was and is a one off for me so far because I'm very concious about intruding on people's private lives.  I have often thoght of doing a series of photos of the beggars in the area where I live because I think they would make interesting subjects, but my own shyness hold me back.  In any  case, who am I to intrude in to their misery and why?

[Bhp91126]

Off topic, but this is another picture where the color version is better than the B&W. In the color version it is much easier to make sense of the details, like the feet peeking through the shredded shoes.

[LONDONER]

Off topic, but this is another picture where the color version is better than the B&W. In the color version it is much easier to make sense of the details, like the feet peeking through the shredded shoes.

On the other forum where I posted it there was divided opinon but most thought that the B&W version was more powerful.  But thanks for your feedback all the same.