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Mari,
Sometimes I will offer some money...but I would perfer to give them food or clothes...most of the time I have noticed if you give money it will be used for drugs and alochol.
KE
Posted 20 months ago.
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yes, i guess you're right and sometimes i do offer to buy them food but other times I guess it's just easier to give them a couple of dollars or so and go on my way. Maybe that's the easy way out. Sometimes when I see someone near my apt. I'll offer to go in and make them a sandwich so i know they eat.
Posted 20 months ago.
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You could keep some fast food gift certificates with you for that sort of situation.
Posted 20 months ago.
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I offered a guy some money to take his picture and he turned me down! He just wanted me to listen to his joke after I took a few pics.
Posted 20 months ago.
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The thing I have quickly discovered about offering people money before you shoot them is that it's likely to effect their mood or the look on their faces. I want to capture as much of the essence of the harshness of what they experience as possible. That's why i now wait until after I take the picture before offering them anything.
Do you remember the joke? I have come across several mentally ill homeless people that to the normal person would be completely hard to understand but I find that if you listen sometimes you hear things that really are very funny that they say. I wonder if the old saying that laughter is the best medicine is sometimes one of the ways that people deal.
Posted 20 months ago.
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I think if you really get to know the person, they won't ask for money. I've had some people ask but I just say no. If they want money in exchange for a shot I turn them down. Usually if you just show an interest in them as a regular human being and not some homeless person then they will really show you respect.
Posted 20 months ago.
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I remember a pro photographer visiting a community mealsite that serves breakfast in Milwaukee. He seemed to have a preferrence for the more haggard and had them waiting in line after the word got out that he was giving each subject four dollars. I saw a couple of the subjects a couple of hours later in a bus stop being arrested for drinking
Originally posted 20 months ago.
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wd9hot edited this topic 20 months ago.
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Does giving homeless people money, keep them on the street?
Originally posted 20 months ago.
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Adam Pena edited this topic 20 months ago.
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Good Question Adam, When I was homeless as a veteran with PTSD the simple act of giving spare change allowed me to get a cup of coffee and helped save my bacon from hypothermia, The VA finally cleared my case file. I will never forget those kind deeds and these days I volunteer at a local community mealsite. On the other hand, There are those who are homeless because of addictive behavior and giving them change only helps to delay dealing with this issue. In extreme situations being high means being turned away from shelters and the possibility of perishing in the nighttime cold. And in honesty, The folks who helped me really had no idea where I was with any particular issue.
Originally posted 20 months ago.
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wd9hot edited this topic 19 months ago.
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wd9hot: Your portraits are stunning. I've been using digital most recently but b&w is really where my heart is. I have to get a scanner so I can upload some of it.
I too was homeless myself for a short while many years ago when I moved to the west coast with no possibilities to speak of but thankfully I did'nt have any major addictions and was able to get work and find a place to stay within a few weeks.
I ask myself if shooting homeless or down on their luck folks is exploitative all the time and it's something that I struggle with.
I do think though that the one thing that I look for in an interesting portrait is the story that is told through the face and that is why I choose to shoot homeless people. I would rather look at a portrait of a person that has had a hard life all day then to look at a beauty shot for one minute.
As far as offering them money for their time and patience while I take the picture, I agree with wd9hot that it's up to them as to what they need to get by. I have also found around here (NYC) that shelters are not the preferred option for alot of folks for whatever reason.
Originally posted 20 months ago.
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Anti-$ocial butterfly edited this topic 20 months ago.
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I'm so glad I've found this thread because not only am I new to photography but I also wish to develop above all my street photography capabilities, if only because I kind of feel that making photos of the homeless was something I wanted to do for a long time and could be, say, one of my little stones to the Babel tower of modern mankind...
I'm asking myself a lot of questions on moral issues, whether it is better to steal lively shots (which is tough, they're more than aware of what's happening around them) than to go ask the person if s/he's OK with being photographed... having to live off the street doesn't precisely make you want to feel like a tourist attraction or an animal in a zoo; I must say I can't figure out how I could just grab any homeless by the arm and blankly go "fancy a shot, sir/missus", I know however I would present it I couldn't get it right (well, that's me, obviously not everybody).
So I think Mark Lewis for first, is full right with his idea of food tickets. You don't have to wonder where your money goes and I will keep that in mind.
I have to say I have no reply to Adam's question... to me it would be like trying to make a difference between some youth who just want to live as "traveller" for a while, and old men which I sometimes surprise in the act of extracting unfinished sandwiches from public trashbins then not think twice about it before they start eating. I just can't judge, as I do not feel I have a lot of elements to.
And above all Redeye has got it dead right. Although today in France the barrier language is more and more a problem when you try to exchange a few words with people you slip a coin to, mostly they do enjoy a little human warmth and consideration, even for a couple of minutes, whether you intend or not to make any photos.
Hope my post wasn't too long :-) Thanks everyone here for this thread and its replies.
Posted 20 months ago.
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I don't mind giving homeless people money. I don't care if they buy drugs with it. If I was homeless i would buy drugs with it..
But i do like to ask them why they are homeless... it takes alot to get thrown on the streets.. and i usually photograph them while they are telling me their story...
But it does feel like crap to sit in front of someone with nothing.. while im here with 1000's of dollars worth of camera gear in their face taking pics..
they are always greatful when you give them something..
good luck!
Posted 20 months ago.
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One thing that really draws my attention are the folks who seemingly put image capture on the lower list of their priorities. They would prefer to buy a complete stranger off the street a cup of coffee or burger and just chat and really listen to that persons own story. When an encounter such as this extends into a portrait session it just seems like a natural extension of their desire to share. The result can be documentary portraiture at it's best.Opponents of homeless photography make a valid point. Hunt and run can indeed be considered exploitive. I do on rare occasion taken a candid but have always contacted the subject later for confirmation. . n.kiefer made a very good point about equipment, Modern gear can be intimidating, I use a 1962 Nikon
Originally posted 19 months ago.
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wd9hot edited this topic 19 months ago.
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It's an interesting question I've never really thought about it before. Most of the people I photograph are my freinds and peers so I guess the subject has never caught up. All I can say is that people have a lot more likely to let themselves be photogrphed by people that they know.
Gadget
Posted 19 months ago.
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I find it patronizing to assume one way or the other if the money will be used for food or what - would a regular employer have the right to ask? when did the homeless give up their right to make choices? people have a right to make choices even if the choiice is the wrong one - it is not respect to assume they are incapable of making a choice. - I imagine you do what is best at the time, to get through the night, to self medicate or to stop some physical pain
I ask if its ok to take the shot if it is up close, the same as anyone else.
Posted 9 months ago.
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I look at it like this. I am a photographer that aspires to make money off of this passion of mine someday. A lot of my work is street/homeless. I get to know every homeless person I shoot whether it is a 5 minute conversation or 30 minutes. I know they would let me take the shot for free but to me it is a quid pro quo. I am getting practice and shots to add to my portfolio. They are getting a few bucks and someone to talk to. I know the conversations alone have made a lot of them feel good. They provided a service to me so I feel obligated to do "something." Now if I try to give them money and they say no, then that is a different story. The reality is that living on the streets is hard. Yes it is a choice they made but if you hear some of their stories you understand how they get where they get. Here is my formula...
If someone asks me to take their picture, then they are in need. Will I charge? No.
If I am asking someone if I can take their picture, then i am in need. If they are homeless then the least I could do is give them a few bucks.
Will this be the reason they stay on the street? No. The majority of the homeless people I talk to are on the street for one of three reasons. Addiction, disability (mental or physical) or criminal background. Sometimes all three.
Phive!
Originally posted 6 months ago.
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Phive. edited this topic 6 months ago.
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I have found where I am that most of them simply want a copy of the picture that I take of them. On any given night in the United States 271,000 veterans are homeless, in Indianapolis on any given night 3,500 people are homeless. Each person has their very own story and usually they are open to conversation.
Posted 6 months ago.
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