Shooting the homeless

Anyone do this?

I'd like to do this for personal reasons and / or to sell as stock. My intention is to offer a trade, $20 or a meal from a nearby drive-through for 5-10 minutes of letting me shoot them, unposed, doing what they're already doing when asking for money on the side of a road or similar situation.

It's been done, a million times over, just like train tracks, sunsets, flowing water at 4second exposures, I know, I'm mostly interested in how you've approached the situation and the response.

Mike Panic wrote in post #14729177
It's been done, a million times over.

Exactly. I also think it's pretty patronizing to capitalize on others' misfortunes. Your morals may be in a different place though.

I did not participate in the project that involved the Cleveland Photographic Society - I periodically judge for CPS - but you may find this video slideshow interesting for how they handled things:

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=O2-tMGaPkn8

This was their stated purpose:

"In January and February, 2011, over 60 volunteers from the Cleveland Photographic Society provided free professional-quality photos to attendees of the 20th Annual Homeless Stand Down. Participation was expanded this year to provide portraiture for both the Winter Clothing and Health Fair days at the Masonic Auditorium and documentary photography for the entire event. Over 670 portraits were taken, printed and delivered to guests as a part of this ongoing community effort to promote dignity and respect."

Some thoughts:

1. if you're planning on selling any of the images as stock you'll need, as far as I know, to get signed model releases for your subjects.
2. if you intend on making an offer (and I think that that is the only really fair thing to do) just note that it may change the kind of photographs you're able to get--ie., shots may appear a little more staged than they would be if you were, say, shooting covertly

Cesium wrote in post #14729257
Exactly. I also think it's pretty patronizing to capitalize on others' misfortunes. Your morals may be in a different place though.

This has nothing to do with morals. I'm actually offended you are suggesting that.

Rather then enable someone by simply giving them money because I feel bad, I want to actually pay someone for working for me, as many of their signs say will work for food. I'm not asking them to do work I don't want to do like heavy lifting, yard work or anything else, I'm just asking them let me capture what's already happening, and giving them something in return.

I guess every photojournalist in the world is pretty patronizing and capitalize on others' misfortunes too, and they do it to tell a story and get paid by advertising dollars from their publications.

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #14729273
Some thoughts:

1. if you're planning on selling any of the images as stock you'll need, as far as I know, to get signed model releases for your subjects.
2. if you intend on making an offer (and I think that that is the only really fair thing to do) just note that it may change the kind of photographs you're able to get--ie., shots may appear a little more staged than they would be if you were, say, shooting covertly

1. no release is needed for stock editorial work
2. I think $20 for 10 minutes is fair, that's $120 / hour. I don't want them to do anything that they don't do normally, I just want their permission to photograph them doing it and will pay them for that ability.

if you're going to approach them on the street with this offer, be prepared to make a hasty retreat. i did volunteer work at a homeless shelter (feeding them lunch) and many of these people are not rational, and a few i came across were violent. i recall one gentleman asking for another plate of food - one was the norm and until everyone in line had been fed there were no seconds. I explained this to him and he replied "I bet if I took my gun out and shot you I could get a second plate". I replied, "Yes, I'm sure you would, but you'd be asking for it in jail" and I walked away. A week later this same person (so his homeless buddies at the shelter told me) walked into the local library and shot two librarians. The police shot him. This incident with him left me with a lasting memory. After this I started doing volunteer at the kids home, assembling bikes for them from junk bike donations - I'd had my fill of crazy adults.

I absolutely understand the point by Cesium and I think in a lot of cases that is what is going on when a photographer engages in this. That said, the attitude that nobody should be photographing the homeless and that doing so is necessarily ethically dubious is misguided, I think.

Good journalism, good documentation, good social work can take photographic forms--sometimes regardless of whether or not that was the intent of the photographer. Having the realities of the city in which we live depicted in photos and being subject to these hard truths can be a very good thing.

I agree that it's ethically dubious to force someone--especially someone going through a rought time--to be a model on your stage, to be just another 'edgy' photo in your portfolio. But at the same time we have to ask ourselves: are these people never worthy of also having their stories told ? If these stories are worth telling, who is going to do it ?

Use a large caliber.

Totally understandable, I'm sorry you went through that Rick. Thank you for sharing

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #14729340
I agree that it's ethically dubious to force someone--especially someone going through a rought time--to be a model on your stage, to be just another 'edgy' photo in your portfolio. But at the same time we have to ask ourselves: are these people never worthy of also having their stories told ? If so, who is going to do it ?

This is a great question Christopher. I've been thinking of the abandoned buildings I've been shooting in lately, specifically the Linfield Industrial Park (click for photos) which has been vacant since 1986 and occupies 192 acres of real estate. Since shooting that set, I've gone back 3 more times to do model shoots, and every time I'm there I talk with the models as we walk around and ponder where did everyone park, what made this place fail, why didn't anyone do anything after the business failed with the buildings or land, why are we letting this place fall apart?

For some reason though, urban exploration is one genre of photography that both shooter and viewer love to enjoy. Finding these hidden gems is feather in a photographers cap if they are the first to shoot it, but the bigger question is why? Why is it OK to put energy into showing what failed so miserably, and why do we enjoy it? Why is it OK to shoot a building falling apart or a house that's been boarded up and call it art, but someone who is out of work and holding a sign asking to work is taboo?

rick_reno wrote in post #14729336
if you're going to approach them on the street with this offer, be prepared to make a hasty retreat. i did volunteer work at a homeless shelter (feeding them lunch) and many of these people are not rational, and a few i came across were violent. i recall one gentleman asking for another plate of food - one was the norm and until everyone in line had been fed there were no seconds. I explained this to him and he replied "I bet if I took my gun out and shot you I could get a second plate". I replied, "Yes, I'm sure you would, but you'd be asking for it in jail" and I walked away. A week later this same person (so his homeless buddies at the shelter told me) walked into the local library and shot two librarians. The police shot him. This incident with him left me with a lasting memory. After this I started doing volunteer at the kids home, assembling bikes for them from junk bike donations - I'd had my fill of crazy adults.

^^^ this. Without going into the political history of it, but back in the 80's there was a shift away from institutionalizing the mentally ill and moving them into community care. The problem was, and is, that the mentally ill often dont cooperate in their own care and end up on the streets. My community has a good amount of resources available to the disadvantaged, so if you are living on the street here its probably because you cant accept even the most minor rules of the shelters. I'm not saying all homeless folks are crazy, dangerous, or violent, but there is a greater ratio of that so proceed with some caution. If you have never been around someone who is bipolar its hard to understand how they can go from rational, friendly, sweet even to a dangerous rage.

gonzogolf wrote in post #14729394
^^^ this. Without going into the political history of it, but back in the 80's there was a shift away from institutionalizing the mentally ill and moving them into community care. The problem was, and is, that the mentally ill often dont cooperate in their own care and end up on the streets. My community has a good amount of resources available to the disadvantaged, so if you are living on the street here its probably because you cant accept even the most minor rules of the shelters. I'm not saying all homeless folks are crazy, dangerous, or violent, but there is a greater ratio of that so proceed with some caution. If you have never been around someone who is bipolar its hard to understand how they can go from rational, friendly, sweet even to a dangerous rage.

I hear, understand and appreciate what you're saying. That said, it's also like saying that not all but most (insert race, sexual orientation, nationality here) are ______________.

Where I intend on doing this, where people have been standing and asking for work, is an upper middle class area of the town I've lived in my whole life, one that reports about the "national homeless problem" but doesn't have much of problem here, until the last 2-3 years. Aside from my ability to be a fairly good judge of character and not being naive about approaching people, I'll mention that PA is also a CCW state and cameras aren't the only thing I shoot.

Aside from that, does anyone else have first hand experience doing this? Has anyone been able to keep in contact with the people they shoot?

Mike Panic wrote in post #14729467
I hear, understand and appreciate what you're saying. That said, it's also like saying that not all but most (insert race, sexual orientation, nationality here) are ______________.

No, its really not.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #14729343
Use a large caliber.

Play nice Todd.......