I know that photos like this one are open to criticism. I like this picture. One can hate the idea of photographing the poor and I understand their point of view. I had to decide whether or not this was OK a long time ago. I know that the odds are against the picture ever making a difference in the real world, so I won’t fool myself into thinking that I am doing any type of service, by exposing how tough life is to some people. There are plenty of things that people rationalize doing, each and very day. I photograph the city and ALL of its inhabitants. I have never taken a picture of homeless person reaching into a garbage can and that doesn’t mean I should get a medal. I just draw the line there and try and work with some compassion. I do throw all of that away at times when faced with what seems like a great shot. If later I discover that I have crossed the line of decency, then I can still take the negative and cut it up into pieces. I’ve only had to do that a few times and I’d love to keep the overzealous side of me under control, forever…

All Photos © Matt Weber

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Published by Matt Weber

Photographing NYC for 25 years, six of them while driving a New York City taxi. Trying very hard to capture the city as life unfolds, meaning I never stage any of my photos! Also I am a close confidant of the immortal Dave Beckerman, (quintessential NYC photographer) and owner of the first photography blog in the known universe.

5 thoughts on “Subway Homeless NYC 2007”

  2. I agree it’s easy to be exploitative, but I don’t believe this is. You’re making no comment on the guy’s social standing, or his income level, or whatever – it’s just a great composition.

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  4. Hi. Firstly I would like to thank you for share such a good work. All your pictures are so full of “feeling” and quality that I feel like I am in an anthropology & philosophy classes. I like to take pictures as an amateur, but I always shared the same concept of you regarding pictures of poverty and homeless people. It really bothers me to see pictures of poverty on Flickr, with no respect from the photographer to the other human being. But this picture is different, I can feel the humanity and respect from a photographer that treated this man as a real artist instead to treat him as an object to take a picture of, exploring his poverty, like most of other “photographers” would do, just to show to other people that they are cool people that cares about the poors.

    This picture is one of the most inspiring pictures I have ever seen, and I feel sorry to have such a limited English vocabulary to express in words how this picture touched me in the good way.

    Regards from Sao Paulo, Brazil

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