Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless

NYC 1986

Old image of the city which seemed to be on the verge of disaster. The city of today is different yet also makes me feel nervous. You have all the wealthy people who not only survived the ’80s but thrived, and in the past two years, a whole new population of people holding empty coffee cups trying to “Live” in one of Manhattan’s most desirable neighborhoods. Watching happy dads and their kids walking by the homeless with $200 Christmas trees, has always left me feeling terrible…Same as it ever was.

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless, Subway

Subway Homeless NYC 2007

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

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

“The Summer of ’88”

I have a pal who swears this summer will be brutally hot. Of course he’s not a meteorologist but if he’s right, nobody suffers a heatwave more than the homeless (and the elderly) Back in the old days, hydrants were open all over the city and at least if you had a bar of soap you could stay somewhat clean. The kids were happy too. These days the sprinklers are on, but they pale compared to the hydrant’s at full blast. I’m not for wasting water, but I’ve noticed that in some parks, the water fountains are becoming scarce. Not everyone can drop a two spot on a bottle of Poland Spring…

All Photos © Matt Weber

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 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