Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless, Subway

Subway Panhandler “Broadway Local” 2004

This recession or depression is starting to affect almost everyone I know. Even my friend the eye doctor has noticed that his customers are starting to resort to a little duct tape or crazy glue, as they try to fix their own glasses.

Over the past years I have lamented the fact that I sold my taxi medallion and now, it’s starting to creep up into the back of my mind again. There’s an old movie (The Roaring Twenties) where Humphrey Bogart, who owns a fleet of taxi cabs, gives a single medallion to James Cagney and tells him “One day you’ll be glad you have this” Cagney, who was playing a big shot in the movie laughed and dismissed the idea that he would ever have to push a hack. Fast forward a few minutes in the film and lo and behold, Cagney’s wearing his hack license ( a badge in the old days) on his cap. He then stops his cab and picks up the love of his life. She of course recognizes Cagney and after some pleasant words gives him a nice tip…

The point is, I sure wish I still had that one lousy fucking medallion…

Matt Weber (Street photography), Fights & Playfights, homeless, Subway, Times Square

“Homeless man watching Tommy “The Duke” Morrison go down” Times Sq. 2009

Once upon a time I really enjoyed watching the Saturday afternooon fights on ABC TV. Saw Ali a few times when he was still Cassius Clay. I watched the Hagler-Hearns fight in a state of shock at the amount of punishment they endured. The first few years of Mike Tyson’s carreer was something to behold. Watching him despatch his opponents in less than two minutes time and time again, was astonishing. Unfortunately, when Mike decided to bite off Holyfield’s ear, I had seen enough. I know that are always going to great boxers and I guess I finally lost my lust for watching two men try and destroy each other.

Mayweather is a great fighter, but when he just pronounced on HBO that he’s the best fighter of all time, he made me wonder. Then I had to wonder no longer as he proclaimed that he was not only better than Muhammad Ali, but he thought that he was even better than Sugar Ray Robinson! Yes you bad and you know what…fuck off

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber 9/11 Related, homeless, Times Square, Uncategorized

September 15th 2001

I don’t know if this picture works, but I was trying to say that, even though the world had been changed in many ways, life for the homeless guy with the flag and his sleeping comrade would continue as if nothing happened. As it turned out, people in general were a lot more caring after 9/11 for awhile, and then all of sudden it was back to normal. The greedy went back to making money big time, and then the bubble burst and the greedy fuckers came with their hands outstretched looking for bailouts, which of course they received.

For a New York minute, it had seemed that things might actually get better after 9/11…Everyone felt bad for us and then, lo and behold, the worst president in history decided to use the massacre to his advantage…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless, Kids & Teens, Subway

Jessica 2006

Jessica lived across the street from me, if you consider sleeping in a cardboard box, living. She was a teenage crack addict and the stainless steel of the the subway was probably the closest thing to a mirror she had. The last time I saw her she was being arrested on Broadway and it seemed that she had been caught shoplifting. Hopefully she has found some help and made a comeback, but she was in a really bad way…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless, Old New York

West Park Church 2009

God bless the developers. They have purchased the right to develop this church. Fortunately they have installed brand new bars to prevent this horrible spectacle from ever being seen again. Maybe they will build a new community center because that’s basically what the church was before laying dormant for the past five years. The developers were of course hoping to raze the church and replace it with a “beautiful” glass tower with a separate entrance for the section 8 eyesores, who would occupy the lower floors. I’m not religious but this church did a lot more than preach the gospel. When it seemed that AIDS was spreading like the plague, this church was busy making sure that those too sick to leave their apartments were still fed. My daughter played in the Pre-K programs they offered. The church is actually the largest brownstone in Manhattan, and maybe New York. Built in 1890 it is crumbling and needs attention (money) to preserve its details. Maybe I’m being too optimistic, but I think an angel of the human variety will save it at the last moment…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless, Old New York, The Urban Prisoner, Times Square

Times Square Region 1989

Many years after I took this picture, a guy I know told me that the gal in the poster is one “Heather Hunter” a pornstar of high repute. Googled her and found out that she retired to try and become a rapper…This picture was one that I always thought did a good job of showing everybody rushing to get home and totally ignoring the poor fellow with the broken leg. I don’t know what it’s like to have to catch the 3:10 to Yuma or anything about living in the burbs, but escaping New York seems understandable, even more so back in the ’80s when New York was at it’s seediest. Of course I’m trying to place myself in the mindset of someone living in Somerville.

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless, The Urban Prisoner

Shadowman 1989

Probably one of the best examples I could ever come up with, to prove that life, can provide the most amazing things to photograph. I was barely awake at 5 am after a long shift in my taxi, when I spotted this guy playing with his shadows. In a million years I would never expect to have seen this guy with the two fat black stripes on his back, doing this between two fat black stripes on a wall in lower Manhattan…I don’t mean that I could never conjure up something good on my own, but the happenstance of life has a way of providing gifts when you least expect it…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless, Kiss Kiss, The Urban Prisoner, Urban Landscape

Broadway Nap 1989

Sometimes it’s amazing that I can remember such details from so long ago, but I remember discussing this image with a stranger on 113th Street when I took this picture. I had to convince him that it was OK and finally he realized that the couple was probably in love and then it passed his smell test. I have had so many discussions about whether or not it’s OK to photograph homeless people, and it’s one of those things that varies from person to person. Some, insist that if you don’t volunteer to work at a soup kitchen then it’s unconscionable. Me, I have definitely pondered it quite a bit, but I eventually figured that if my life’s calling is to photograph New York City, then I can’t ignore the least fortunate, nor should I make them the primary focus…They do exist and I sometimes I take their picture…