NYC: Worldy Possessions, Revisited

[BottomBracket]

Sequel to this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=414685&highlight=worldly). Again, the world is my home.

Slumber
http://piofort.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p734651690-4.jpg

Sun Basking
http://piofort.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p549836250-4.jpg

[tmcman]

Heavy stuff.
Is that a person under the plastic? just a bit away from the people and the sunlight...
Great shot with the low angle sun and the guy's far off stare.

[RobNYC]

Good shots! We were shooting in the same neighborhood recently!

[bimmeracer3]

When I go into the city I look for stuff like this, but they never seem to be as good as yours.
You sure have the urban eye

[izzy35]

pio...u make me ANGRY!!!! LOL!!! u're eye, shots, representations and definitely your PP, are a gift and always on-point...ANOTHER great series!

[tsw910]

good stuff Pio .. the 2nd one is awesome ! ... i love how its composed, everything in there fits and describes the photo so well !

[Flo]

Pio.that second photo is stunning.

[BlueTsunami]

The second shot is fantastic and is a testament to the effect good natural lighting has on a scene. I love it.

[chomish]

Great stuf Pio.

I especially love the second shot.

Great work as usual, Al.

[BottomBracket]

Thanks for looking and for the comments all! Some notes:

#1 Yes, that's the same guy under the plastic sheet, this is how he sleeps when it is cold.

#2 was taken on a different day, early morning when the sun was still low.

This person is an enigma. I see him almost everyday as I take my son to school in Manhattan. He never bothers anybody, he doesn't beg for anything at all. One day I bought a cup of coffee and some rice cakes and offered it to him. He just smiled and shook his head. I was quite stunned with the polite refusal. A few weeks later, just to see if he will decline again, I bought breakfast from a nearby diner and offered it again. Same result. I am bewildered that someone in the depths of poverty would turn down a meal. Where does his strength come from? What is his source of enlightenment? I am reminded by the song of The Beatles, The Fool On The Hill. It may turn out that he knows what's really going on in this world, and I am the fool for possessing such worldly goods.

Forgive the rambling. Photos were taken with a G6, by the way.

[izzy35]

pio, i wanted to ask...in shots like this, where 1/2 is in shade and 1/2 in bright sunlight, where do you meter?? u know me, always wanting to learn..:-)

[djthemac]

Shot 2 is epic. Very well done

[FLiPMaRC]

Thanks for looking and for the comments all! Some notes:

#1 Yes, that's the same guy under the plastic sheet, this is how he sleeps when it is cold.

#2 was taken on a different day, early morning when the sun was still low.

This person is an enigma. I see him almost everyday as I take my son to school in Manhattan. He never bothers anybody, he doesn't beg for anything at all. One day I bought a cup of coffee and some rice cakes and offered it to him. He just smiled and shook his head. I was quite stunned with the polite refusal. A few weeks later, just to see if he will decline again, I bought breakfast from a nearby diner and offered it again. Same result. I am bewildered that someone in the depths of poverty would turn down a meal. Where does his strength come from? What is his source of enlightenment? I am reminded by the song of The Beatles, The Fool On The Hill. It may turn out that he knows what's really going on in this world, and I am the fool for possessing such worldly goods.

Forgive the rambling. Photos were taken with a G6, by the way.
A man without needs is very rare.

Great shots :cool:

[bimmeracer3]

pio, i wanted to ask...in shots like this, where 1/2 is in shade and 1/2 in bright sunlight, where do you meter?? u know me, always wanting to learn..:-)
Good question.

[jdizzle]

Nice shots Pio! I love the basking in the sun shot! Nice work as always!

[BottomBracket]

Late reply here, sorry this thread slipped away somehow, didn't mean to be rude. Thanks for looking and for the comments. About metering in difficult conditions, you should always skew the exposure towards that of your main subject, even if it means blowing out the highlights. In #1's case this is what I did, with the sunny area blown out. I hope it worked out a bit with the photo's context, giving it a yin-yang sort of look.

[kenyc]

Great shots, particularly #2, but even greater story. Thanks!

Thanks for looking and for the comments all! Some notes:

#1 Yes, that's the same guy under the plastic sheet, this is how he sleeps when it is cold.

#2 was taken on a different day, early morning when the sun was still low.

This person is an enigma. I see him almost everyday as I take my son to school in Manhattan. He never bothers anybody, he doesn't beg for anything at all. One day I bought a cup of coffee and some rice cakes and offered it to him. He just smiled and shook his head. I was quite stunned with the polite refusal. A few weeks later, just to see if he will decline again, I bought breakfast from a nearby diner and offered it again. Same result. I am bewildered that someone in the depths of poverty would turn down a meal. Where does his strength come from? What is his source of enlightenment? I am reminded by the song of The Beatles, The Fool On The Hill. It may turn out that he knows what's really going on in this world, and I am the fool for possessing such worldly goods.

Forgive the rambling. Photos were taken with a G6, by the way.

[1ruffryder]

wow man. #2 is simply stunning.

[jpphotography]

Great shots with an amazing story, thanks so much for sharing.

[BottomBracket]

Thanks for the comments guys!

[Avi]

love #2...
thanks for sharing..

Avi

[BottomBracket]

Thanks Avi, I appreciate you looking and for the comment.

[Jaykue]

nice to see you're still here pio.
awesome 2nd shot.

[BottomBracket]

Hey Jay, glad to see that you are still around too. Thanks for the comment!

[AndPancho]

Love the first one.
Just spent a week in NYC and was amazed at the number of people sleeping in doorways etc. Seemed to be happening a lot, but they never posed a problem.

[Jaykue]

i missed your comment here.

interesting thoughts pio. maybe he has found some form of enlightnment and real understanding in which we've all missed in the craze and haze of the consumer driven society we live in. but also, from my awareness, a great proportion of the homeless suffer from some form of mental illness. some have sought help, but after being released, they struggle with re-integrating into society due to the lack of half-way houses offerring assistance - and hence their mental health once again deteriorates. moreover, some never seek help at all - and are continually consumed by their delusions and anxieties disabling them from functioning in society

so who knows, maybe he suffers a bout of schizophrenia and just thought you were trying to poison him lol

[BottomBracket]

Thanks Pancho and Jay, I missed your comments too as well. Interesting thoughts Jay, You seem to have a grasp on psychology (based on your comments long ago as well). Perhaps this a chance that this fellow has found enlightenment in what he does. He really seems rather docile and never bothers anyone.

[RedBattleAxe]

Hi there, i'm new to the site and I must say that #2 is just stunning. I know exactly where that is and i'm down there weekly. I think I'm gonna have to get some breakfast and see if I can talk to him.

[BottomBracket]

Hey thanks! Lots of great places to have breakfast there. I'm interested to learn how he responds to you. My efforts were futile, i just managed to coax a smile, but then again it might be the language barrier too.