Gerome - C&C welcome
I got up early this morning (around 6) and threw some jeans and a t-shirt on, grabbed my camera with my 50 mm 1.8 and made my way downtown. I saw this man standing under the over hang of one of our abandoned high rises that I must drive by at least 20 times a week. Every time I drive past that building, he stands there in the same spot, right next to a big red door and an old water spout. So I parked behind the building, walked around to the front and walked right up to him and said
me - "excuse me, sir I know this might be an odd question but I was wondering if you would mind if I took your photograph".
him - "what are you going to do with it?"
me - "well it's for personal use...I'm doing a series on the city and the people in it"
him - "ok well where do you want to do it?"
me - "right here is fine"
So anyway he stood by the same red door he's been standing next to for nearly 10 months wearing the same black jacket he's owned since he started living on the streets and carrying the same story for as long as he's been homeless. I snapped off a few frames and then asked him about his story. He spoke very fast and slurred a lot of his words...not because he was drunk, he wasn't, but because it's just the way he talks. I tried to keep up and hear what he was saying but I missed a lot. I couldn't tell if he was a little off or not but he seemed very genuine in everything he said. Apparently he was a victim of identity theft about a year ago and as a result, he lost everything he has - his wife, house, vehicle, and all the money in his accounts which, from what I gathered, was quite a bit of cash. He talked about how the city had pushed him out of his life and replaced him with someone else. He explained to me that there are a lot of crooks out there that will lie to you to get what they want and that he felt he was a victim of this. after about 30 minutes or so of talking, and a few minutes of awkward silence, I asked him if there was somewhere he would like to go get some breakfast. He said he didn't have any money but I assured him I would foot the bill. Then, to my horror, I realized I had forgotten my wallet - luckily he said he had some food but what he really needed was money. Since I didn't have anything else to offer him, I assured him I would be right back. I walked to my car and gathered all the change I had in my ash tray (about $3 in quarters and pennies) and walked back to where he was, handed what I had, shook his hand, and departed. I'm sure I'll see Gerome again but next time I won't over look him the way so many people do everyday.
After I got home, I couldn't wait to upload these. They didn't turn out exactly like I wanted but I think I'm satisfied. What do you think?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. this one is my favorite of the bunch but I was very disappointed when I discovered that the bottom half of his face was out of focus - damn!
me - "excuse me, sir I know this might be an odd question but I was wondering if you would mind if I took your photograph".
him - "what are you going to do with it?"
me - "well it's for personal use...I'm doing a series on the city and the people in it"
him - "ok well where do you want to do it?"
me - "right here is fine"
So anyway he stood by the same red door he's been standing next to for nearly 10 months wearing the same black jacket he's owned since he started living on the streets and carrying the same story for as long as he's been homeless. I snapped off a few frames and then asked him about his story. He spoke very fast and slurred a lot of his words...not because he was drunk, he wasn't, but because it's just the way he talks. I tried to keep up and hear what he was saying but I missed a lot. I couldn't tell if he was a little off or not but he seemed very genuine in everything he said. Apparently he was a victim of identity theft about a year ago and as a result, he lost everything he has - his wife, house, vehicle, and all the money in his accounts which, from what I gathered, was quite a bit of cash. He talked about how the city had pushed him out of his life and replaced him with someone else. He explained to me that there are a lot of crooks out there that will lie to you to get what they want and that he felt he was a victim of this. after about 30 minutes or so of talking, and a few minutes of awkward silence, I asked him if there was somewhere he would like to go get some breakfast. He said he didn't have any money but I assured him I would foot the bill. Then, to my horror, I realized I had forgotten my wallet - luckily he said he had some food but what he really needed was money. Since I didn't have anything else to offer him, I assured him I would be right back. I walked to my car and gathered all the change I had in my ash tray (about $3 in quarters and pennies) and walked back to where he was, handed what I had, shook his hand, and departed. I'm sure I'll see Gerome again but next time I won't over look him the way so many people do everyday.
After I got home, I couldn't wait to upload these. They didn't turn out exactly like I wanted but I think I'm satisfied. What do you think?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. this one is my favorite of the bunch but I was very disappointed when I discovered that the bottom half of his face was out of focus - damn!
0
Comments
What a sad story and it happens everyday.
There are alot of homeless people in Asheville, NC also.
I wish we could help them before we help people in other countries.
Thanks for posting!
Take Care,
Chuck Cassidy,
http://aperturefocus.smugmug.com
Aperture Focus Photography
http://aperturefocus.com
You did a fab job!
I put it on Aperture mode so it picked the shutter speed. I didn't realize it was on such a slow SS
www.steveboothphotography.com
Pool/Billiards specific...
www.poolinaction.com
I agree with 1pocket. Much can be forgiven when the eyes are tack sharp. For spending so little time with him, I think you did a good job of capturing him.
email: mark@markleonardimaging.com
thanks. I went looking for him again this morning so I could try again but he wasn't there. The cool part is, there are dozens of shelters around here for these people to go to so I think he was probably staying there this morning.
I walked into an old laundry mat this morning at 7 as the old lady was opening the doors and asked if I could snap a few pictures of the place. she asked me "of what?" and I said "just general stuff around the room" and when she said she'd have to call the owner, I knew she didn't want me to...so I said thanks anyway and left.