Street Photography: Looking Down

A while ago I was reading up on San Francisco in anticipation of a visit I was making to the city. I read about how it is one of the most populous US cities and other statistical facts. What caught my attention though was that the city was dealing with a chronic problem of human feces on public streets. Between 2011 to 2018, reports of human waste went from 5,500 annual incidents to more than 28,000 incidents. Who knows how much worse it really is given that not everyone is going to bother filing a report. Plus, of course, there is whatever dog feces that have not been scooped up. So that’s an awful lot of poop baking in the California sunshine. Although I did not encounter any feces while I was there, the potential for a misstep is enough for one to keep their eyes down.

All of this came back to mind when I was uptown in New York City and saw the above sign at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. It’s posted in a park-like area near the church. There’s even a bench with a realistic sculpture of someone asleep on it. In this context, I was sure the sign was intended to discourage the homeless from public defecation. After I took the photograph, which was taken quickly as I walked by, I saw the bottom where it was clear the reference was to dogs.

It got me thinking about the state of public feces in New York City – both dogs and human. A little checking revealed that the Big Apple has about 2,500 complaints of human waste, which is far less than San Francisco especially considering that New York City has a larger population. An article in The New York Times, for example, reports that residents of a Chelsea apartment building have had to clean up after the homeless who not only leave behind their feces, but trash, rotting food, used needles, and urine stored in juice bottles. So it’s a problem but not an epic one.

As far as good old fashioned dog feces go, it does rank up there as a quality of life issue, especially in the Bronx. The number of filed complaints have been going down ever since New York City passed its Pooper Scooper law in 1978. But the complaints that do remain have been vocal. So perhaps the church has it right. Add an 11th commandment. Thou shalt not poop.

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Street Photography: Times Square

I first saw Anthony last year. He was wandering about in Times Square holding a sign and hollering about some dispute he was having with his landlord. I was running late to catch my train at Penn Station. And, as he was turning to walk in the opposite direction, I did not have time to follow him to get a photograph. Afterwards, I experienced “punctuality remorse.” I should have remained to photograph him and just taken a later train.

So it was my good fortune to see him again on 7th Avenue, one block before entering Times Square. He was wearing the same outfit. But this time, his sign displayed a creative take on the president’s favorite slogan. Anthony also had a megaphone to help amplify his grievances.

There was no need for me to be stealthy. He clearly wanted to be noticed. So I went right up to Anthony and took a few shots to which he replied “Thank you!” As I walked away, I could hear his megaphoned voice alerting passersby that he liked my suit and that I have good taste in clothes.

As I weaved through the crowd to catch my train, I could still hear Anthony and his megaphone chortling away and singing meanderingly.

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Street Photography: Seventh Avenue

I often photograph people. It means scanning the streets before me, sweeping my gaze from side to side, and looking ahead as far down the block as possible to anticipate who may be approaching me.

There’s also a lot to see above everyone’s heads. It might be a potential “portrait” of a skyscraper or a group shot of buildings. One could also zero in on architectural details or patterns. The presence of people is not a required element for an image to come within the genre of street photography.

In my case here it was a combination of signs that caught my eye. A traditional metal “One Way” sign pointing to a modern day electronic billboard. These signs bookend a “Walk/Don’t Walk” sign, which represents a sort of middle technology in the chronology of messaging. And its upheld palm reinforces the plea to help end the laughter of horses.

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Street Photography: Expression

Town squares, town greens, and other community centers have a tradition of attracting those who wish to express themselves to a large audience through which those ideas have the best chance of getting widely disseminated. Think of the political or religious street orator perched on a soapbox.

That age-old practice continues today at Times Square, perhaps the most iconic “town” center in the world. On any given day, someone is exercising their freedom of expression through their attire (or absence of any), their voices, or their signage.

It could even be as simple as sheets of paper printed from a computer and anonymously taped to any surface. In Times Square, wall space is a rare commodity as just about every vertical plane is likely to be a store window or commercial digital sign.

But one clever town crier saw an opportunity where others only saw pavement, which in itself is a creative method of communication.  And I like the embedded metallic studs, which give the impression of silver coins.

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Street Photography: Heat on the Street

I passed by him on Eighth Avenue, but could not get a good shot of his face until I tried again the following afternoon.

As in the other photographs I posted over the past two days, his body language conveys that characteristic weather-beaten sense of resignation and exhaustion. The slumped shoulders, the heat melting his face into a sad countenance, the spaced-out gaze.

That look in the eyes is a common denominator in all three images. I did not set out to selectively photograph people exhibiting this appearance. Indeed, I was not looking through the viewfinder as I was holding the camera chest-high and snapping the shutter improvisationally as I encountered people and tableaux that attracted my attention.

I only noticed the downward cast of the eyes after I started looking through the photographs. The fact that so many images depicted a similar expression suggests that there were a great many other people – out of my frame – who were looking and feeling the same way as they endured the stifling streets of the West Side neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen.

In the case of this man, maybe his eyes also imply a searching. A hope for an alternative to a job that to me seems filled with endless boredom, monotony, and futility in holding a sign that most people were ignoring, which may account for the handful of business cards he was not even bothering to give out.

Or maybe he was just hot.

 

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Street Photography: Happy Accidents

Again, I decided to vary my route and avoid my usual trek through Times Square. Eighth Avenue has a very different feel. Less spiffy and touristy. More raw and New York.

I also changed the way I photograph. I held the camera up to my chest and – without looking through the viewfinder – pointed the lens as best I could toward interesting subjects and clicked the shutter. It’s an approach I haven’t done in a long time. It’s a fun challenge and the results can be surprising.

In this case, I liked the character in the face of this fellow as he walked by lost in thought while listening to music or a phone conversation on his earpods. I’m walking also, in the opposite direction, so I can never be sure if my image will come out blurry, with heads decapitated, or with the subject too far out of the frame. I can’t compose the scene because I’m not looking into the viewfinder. So creating the composition is a lot more improvisational.

Here, I was able to get him in the shot. I did crop the image, which had a wider view, to eliminate other pedestrians that would distract from the happy accident I noticed above the gentleman’s bald head. I did not see the hair removal sign when I took the photo. I only noticed it after I got back to the studio to examine the photograph.

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