went out last night with a d3000

[Iguanasan]

I see it the other way, by not seeing his face and the subject not knowing he is being shot, I feel this shot is stealing something from him and the viewer(I am guessing he does not know he is being photographed). Are we even sure the man is homeless? He is dressed in a warm up, doesn't seem too dirty. He could have just been tired from walking on those crutches, and stopped to rest. IMO, this image does not tell the story the artist is looking for.

Honestly, I have to agree somewhat. The clothing and the new looking crutches did not convey the message of homelessness as it could have.

The following are two similar images on homelessness. I feel one the first one is very powerful and the second one steals from the subject and the viewer

I understand your feeling that the image is being "stolen" because the subject is not aware of the photograph and you are not the first person to make that point. I, however, do not agree. I do not believe that it is required to ask someone before taking their photograph. I do believe that you have to have a bit of social responsibility to photograph someone.

And like I said before, this image from Ernst tells a great story, you can see the pain in his eyes and every line in his face. I am a veteran of war and find this image VERY powerful

Yes, Ernst is very skilled at telling wonderful stories with his images.

Also, for future reference, you should post a link to images do not belong to you or at least hyperlink the image itself to the original posting. Posting some else's image without a link back to the original photographer is not really appropriate. In fact, I'd appreciate it if you could edit your post and fix that. I'm not sure how Marko feels about that but I know how I feel about it.

I know we have gotten into critiquing subject matter and not the technical side of the print (maybe off topic). This subject (not homeless people, just subject matter itself) would make a great topic some where on the boards.

The subject matter is part of the critique discussion when appropriate though not always. I think the subject matter is critiqued less often as the problem is usually not with the subject matter but with the technical and artistic skills to showcase the subject well. Someone's choice of subject matter is merely their choice.

Just to make it clear, noob's image doesn't offend me or anything, I just feel it missed the mark on the subject matter, and maybe critiquing subject matter (and not technical side of the print) is more along the lines of taste in artwork. I have been all over these boards the last three days and have not seen much critiquing of the subject matter it self.

wow that was a lot more feed back than i was expecting
and yes the man is homeless and no he did not know i was capturing him while he slept
and i dont like messing with my pictures never have i used to use film for many years and if i dont take the pic right then it is never right for me
and no worries everyone has the right to their own opinion and i am not offended i take a lot of street shots and in the city that includes the homeless the lonely and the forgotten
one thing you may not see that i do see is those step are on a street rescue place that was closed down becuz of funding and that is what the pic is to me and just so you know in the future when i do take my photos i use my camera and a tripod on a mobility scooter so its not like i can be sneaky so most of my subjects do end up seeing me pointing my lens their way
and to me if i can grab the natural shot before they see me makes me feel i caught something natural and honest
my chosen subject matter offends some disgust a few even makes some look on in disdain but hopefully i have at least made everyone think of the forgotten so one day they may not be

We do try to critique thoroughly, noobclicker, though it's generally much easier if you post a copy of the image rather than simply link to it. Then the image and the critique can be seen together.

Now knowing the circumstances I would have loved to have seen a sign identifying the location and the "closed" sign on top of it or something if such a bit existed. That would have definitely made for a more powerful image.

[Marko]

I found a great example here on the boards on this exact matter. Member Ernest did a project on homeless veterans and has a great shot of a guy without belittling him (IMO, your shot belittled the man).

"Yank them off the sidewalk" "Forgotten Veteran"

Noob, please don't take offense to my my critique. I feel all subjects need to be recorded, but some need to done delicately and I feel you missed it on this shot.

Mods - let me know if I am out of line on this critique. I have my own forum and I know the headaches you go through.

To be honest - I'm not sure posting your images in someone else's thread in this way is that cool. Posting someone else's photo directly is also not the coolest. Feel free to critique of course but for now please only post your own images in your own threads. (Still thinking about a general policy on this one). If you want to refer to another person's image, please just link to it. I am deleting Ernst's image from this thread as he gave no permission for you to post it.

members - Please DO NOT answer my post here , as this thread is about another member's image.... so no need to take it more off track. Of course feel free to PM me if anything ever concerns you.

Thx! Marko

[noobclicker]

i am new to the forums and was not sure how to post my photo and yes it would have been better if i had posted the pic
and the photo i took was in a very very busy area and getting the shot was a one shot deal or yes the sign would have been a good addition

[Marko]

I 100% see and realize that this shot was taken in (probably) under 10 seconds. I think you did a fine job here overall.

[noobclicker]

trying to see if this works

[thoughton]

Controversial subject, as usual Personally I think as long as the photo isn't belittling the subject then I have no problem with it. For me it's like street photography of obese people - if you're taking the photo for some reason other than their obesity then that's fine. If the obesity is the only thing of interest then it's not fine. Here the photo has a message, and you haven't invaded his privacy (he could have found a more sheltered spot!), so I'm fine with it.

[Marko]

I agree with this logic 100% Tim.