[Leica] photographing the homeless

[kcassidy at asc.upenn.edu (Kyle Cassidy)]

It _is_ one of the 10 Commandments of Leica Photography not to photograph 
homeless people, but there are obvious caveats to that. I do believe that 
you probably shouldn't be photographing homeless people unless you know 
their names and you're on the same side of the street as them.

Omar frequently has something dramatic and pointed to say, which makes him 
popular, he's also often spectacularly well dressed. I've come to think of 
him as the Duke of Locust Street where he hangs out, pontificating, 
drinking, and sometimes yelling at people. I've probably been taking photos 
of him, off and on, for five or six years. I ran into him yesterday and he 
said "I'm getting old. I want to live in the suburbs. This might be the last 
time you see me." He was wearing a Tweetie Bird shirt and had a matching 
stuffed toy. We shook hands and I thought it would be a little sad if it 
was, in fact, the last time I saw him. But I ran into him again about three 
hours later and he was wearing an entirely new wardrobe.

I shot this with my iLeica.

http://www.kylecassidy.com/lj/2010/omar-tweetie-1200.jpg

Love to hear your thoughts & opinions on the history of photography & 
homelessness & what books you like. 

Ignore incoming calls on your camera,

Kyle