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Taken on the Aldwych in central London
Taken on the Aldwych in central London
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Jun, 2016Views
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Winner in Lonely People Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this during one of my 'walkabouts', in Central London on the Aldwych, up from Fleet Street, and is located across the road from my old university, the London School of Economics. It is an extremely busy area traffic wise and the surrounding buildings, including a beautiful church dedicated to the women of the Royal Navy, are smeared with soot. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I now believe that this is a regular 'spot' for the homeless. I say this because, weeks later, I took another picture of another homeless person in the exact same spot.Time
I took this in June during the early evening. The area at this time of day becomes extremely busy with, mainly professional, people rushing to get their commute connection home. The traffic roars in the background, and the stream of people is relentless. It is this social dynamic that provides a jarring contrast in relation to the subject.Lighting
It was the usual, slightly grey, slightly overcast and ever so nondescript day. The light conditions were so poor that the colour version of the photo displaying the subject's bright red scooter failed to interest (me). I opted for the B&W version to highlight the drabness, the loneliness and the subject's hideous situation.Equipment
As with most of my street photography, I use the iPhone6. It is quick, powerful and small enough to hide. I feel obliged to be extremely discrete (and not always succeeding!) as I want to capture the essence, the moment, the humanity that is priceless to me. I wrestle with the ethics of it a lot and I have foregone opportunities because the issue of ensuring the subject's dignity and avoiding brazen exploitation was called into question.Inspiration
I have PTSD. As part of my own recovery pathway, I volunteered for about 5 years at a homeless charity in my neighbourhood. The charity is called Spitalfieds Crypt Trust and they do fantastic work in the community. This was 'frontline' stuff and I encountered the homeless, alcoholics, drug addicts, the mentally unwell, the old and discarded whilst making and serving them hot meals and conversing with them. I have seen people turn up in wheelchairs because their feet were gangrenous. Yet, whilst these people are extremely troubled, they are also wonderful in their own unique ways. After such exposure, I believe, I developed an 'eye' for these people and I take their pictures in order to highlight the issue. It is one of the many ways I give back because the volunteering actually helped me to recover.Editing
Yes, I used the filters (Noir) on the iPhone6 and then I considered whether to use the software, Creative Kit to apply a further B&W effect however I believe I did not.In my camera bag
Again, no laughing please: I have the following: Camera & Lens: 1 x Canon EOS 1000D, 1 x Canon EFS 18-55mm lens, 1 x Canon EFS 70-300mm lens Tripod: Velbon EF-61 (grrrrrrrrr) Battery: 2 x Lithium batteries Memory Cards: 2 x memory cards (Eyefi and SanDisk) iPhone accessories including solar charger and Ollo clip (wide angle & fish eye lens) Some manuals, notes, fruit, a half eaten baguette, a bottle of water A lot of luck, hope, inspiration and the occasionally critical eyeFeedback
Right, this is tricky. You have to capture a beautiful shot. I get that. However you also should balance the subject's dignity, the ethics of it all and ask yourself whether you are serving a good, kind, constructive, moral purpose with the picture. If you are, then fire away. And, for goodness sake, be discrete. You don't necessarily want to alert people to what you are doing as it may invite an unwanted confrontation. I would finally say, to avoid hypocrisy, that sometimes a potential image is so powerful that you just have to take it (and possibly end up being slightly unethical and indiscreet in the process). Use your judgement.
