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Bob Jarman wrote:
Well said Steve. Certainly locale matters. Personally I have trouble benefiting at someone else's expense or misfortune - homeless street people for instance. And that is solely my guideline, not judging that other's are right or wrong. I full well understand the documentary aspect, but I still won't do it.
There is another whole realm re litigious parents and photographing kids - again, something I will not do without knowing the family and with permission.
Bob
For street photographers, two of the most controversial subjects to photograph are the homeless, and children, each for different reasons.
In NYC where I live, the homeless are easily found on the street in most neighborhoods. Some are temporarily down on their luck, but most are mentally ill, disabled, or have drug problems, without family members who can assist them getting the help they need. They are an easy target for someone with a camera as they are generally helpless. I rarely photograph the homeless, and when I do, I usually don't show their faces in my photos. The way I see it is that this subject matter is probably more sensitively and professionally handled by documentary photographers who seriously engage with the homeless on a deeper and more caring level.
As far as photographing children, the savvy street photographer is fully aware that parents are very protective of their offspring and rightfully so. My advice is to exercise extreme caution and use your best judgement in deciding when to pull out your camera. On the other hand, there is much that can be revealed about life and human nature when photographing children. As an example, one only has to look at some of the photos taken by Cartier Bresson, Diane Arbus, and Helen Levitt, to name a few, which are iconic.
Steve
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