Reno Subculture…A homeless community

PERSONAL

My personal feelings toward this photograph connect to the entire subculture. I have a heart for the homeless culture in Reno. There are so many people that shy away or judge this subculture, but yet they do nothing to help them. I like volunteering at shelters and talking to these people and seeing what their lives are really like and how they became part of a subculture that we have never been part of and probably will never truly understand.

HISTORICAL

The history of a subculture like this is hard to pinpoint. Because of all different circumstances people have been forced to live on the streets. I am sure that the great depression was a huge part of causing this in the United States. But it has been around forever and I really do not think that it is going away.

TECHNICAL

Lighting

I took this photo downtown by the river. The lighting was natural because of outdoors. The sky was very clear and this helped make  the picture bright. The sun is to the upper right because his cast shadow is to the left. This man’s blanket is absorbing light very well, and the underside of it is dark.

Composition

I chose a long shot for this photo. I wanted to center the man in the photo and get his environment as well. I chose to take it from behind because it shows the disconnection with this person. From behind you can see where he is heading, but you don’t know where that is, and he may not either. I wanted to capture the essence of his appearance. He has dread locks and you can tell his hair has not been washed in a while. His clothes are not as raddy as others, but they are worn down. You can tell by his layers that he keeps everything he owns on his persons.

Symbolism/Vectors

I wanted to get the man walking because it shows that he moves around. The walking is symbolic for his non-stationery life style. There are not any vectors pointing your eye to anything important. The cement roadblocks on the other side of the road draw your eye to a horizontal plane, but the tree draws your eye upwards.

Ethical/Cultural/Critical

The culture of the homeless community is one that is very individual but yet the individuals make up a large population. Being homeless is a state of seclusion. I once heard a homeless person say that the only thing they miss from society is being looked in the eye. Society disregards homeless people. How many times a day do you walk past a homeless person and walk around them so you don’t have to encounter them or merely don’t pay any attention to them at all. They are human too. Regard them with the same courtesy that you would show anyone else. Is it actually ethical to walk by and not help someone in need.This can go on to a greater scale of the government. How many homeless shelters have been closed because it is too expensive to maintain? Police officers kick homeless people out of parks because it does not look good, but where will they go? Everyone is responsible for their own actions but just keep in mind if something horrible happened in your life beyond your control and you ended up in this situation, how would you want someone to treat you?