Human Degradation

Ted Szukalski

Anyone who knows few of my photographs will know I often photograph homeless people. However, I have never seen the homeless so self degraded as in Prague. I have titled this photograph “Human Degradation - Beggar in Prague” as it really bothered me the way these people beg there. I don’t think it was necessary for them to prostate themselves like that to get few coins for food.



Click the photo or the link above to see a bigger photograph and EXIF.

System

a great photo of a hard subject-

urbanaries

good to see you back around Ted.

This is a very moving photo. The feet of passersby underscore the dramatic posture of your subject. Haunting, really. Nice work!

ChatKat

Greece and Turkey
Very moving and a perfect image.

I've seen beggars in Greece and Turkey do the same - actually even in Italy. The Gypsies were laying in doorways of churches and collecting money laying down so you had to walk over them to enter.

1220

The image is indeed moving. Unfortuantely its a scene I come across nearly everyday here in NYC. My perspective was different however, because in most (not all) cases this pose is taken up here because the subject is too high to maintain any other position and they wind up in those prone or semi prone stances while continuing to beg.... fading in and out of conscientiousness.

So I didnt see this shot as the dire begging type stance, but something different based on my daily experiences. Obviously you were there and this situation is different. Just sharing my opinion based on the photo alone.

Regardless, I try to help the homeless in the occasional small ways I can, usually by buying them food or drink and agree that it is awful to see one so terribly deperate for help.