Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Excellent photos. The one time I was involved in something like this was a photo project of residents at a local shelter, known as "The Rest". It was the only shelter open during the day. There were other shelters open only at night. People could come in from the cold or heat, get some soap, mail and so forth. Most were mentally ill or substance dependent, but there were some success stories, GED's with jobs and the like. A friend who drew me into the project did the photography, a Hasselblad (they used a device known as a "film back" then) set on a tripod with studio lights against a plain white sheet for a background. I and others did the printing (this was at a time when it was preferable to use "photo-sensitive" paper, chemistry and a projection device known as an "enlarger"). The images were excellent, compelling. They were displayed in an exhibit at our state capitol, wrongly thinking that politicians might consider the possibility that there were others in the world besides themselves. At the next fund-raising dinner, we noted that about 20% of the subjects were dead, murders, frozen to death and so forth. Then, our city pulled financial support from the shelter and it closed. One councilwoman suggested that the support money would be better spent on bus tickets out of town. I've never forgotten the images. I don't know if they ever did any good, but maybe a few were responsive. I know it caused my wife and I to re-align our charitable budget. Ken > -----Original Message----- > From: lug-bounces+kcarney1=cox.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug- > bounces+kcarney1=cox.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Kyle Cassidy > Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2007 11:13 AM > To: lug@leica-users.org > Subject: [Leica] more omar (was re: photographing the homeless) > > i can't speak for omar, but i'm pretty sure he'd refuse "treatment". > despite living on the street, he seems, for the most part, profoundly > cheerful. a few weeks ago when i ran into him he said "i don't want to > die, i love life too much." > omar's a lot different from many of the homeless people i see in > philadelphia, ones with obvious mental illness, rocking, shouting at > imaginary assailants -- i'm not exactly sure what his problem is -- apart > from alcohol dependency which isn't so rare in this college town -- i'm > not sure if it's that he can't hold down a job or that he doesn't really > care to. he has a dense social roster and occasionally invites me to > parties (at someone elses house). > > some photos of him from the fall: > > http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/cassidy/lj/2006/omar/index.html > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information