Matt Weber (Street photography), homeless, Kids & Teens, Old New York

Brooklyn 1990

As I continue to search my older negatives, the overall feeling I get from the New York of twenty years ago is pretty depressing. This might be one of the better portraits I’ve done. It’s a sad one. Not as bad as the images we’ve all seen from third world countries, but this is New York and a twelve year old boy shouldn’t be out late at night training to become a squeegee man…

 

Street Photography © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), Kids & Teens, Old New York

“My Stoop” 1989

I get nostalgic for my old stoop. Stoops are great for chilling and swilling cold brews during the summer. (Guiliani did put a dent in that activity by putting the cops on “Zero Tolerance”)

In the morning this stoop was great for people watching. All the suits and secretaries would run with such serious expressions on their mugs, as they tried to catch the 8:55 crosstown bus.

Late at night, I could smoke a nice Cubano and not have to worry about yuppy neighbors squalking constantly about the stench.

Yes, stoops were also perfect for the great American past time of girl watching.

The stoop was also a place where every now and then, I’d take a photograph worth printing. This one always pleased me…

 

© Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), Kids & Teens

“The Getaway!” 2010

Something’s going on, but I’m not sure what. Maybe they helped their friend, (In a nightgown with sneakers untied) escape from a hospital. Maybe he was just grounded for a few weeks. Most of the buildings on the upper west side have a second door in the kitchen which leads to a staircase for fires and emergencies. I had to use that door on occasion when I was their age to make my getaway. Maybe the kid in the gown is texting his parents and apologizing for his escape, just moments after having fled the coop…

 

© Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), Fights & Playfights, Kids & Teens

“Hey Photograph This!” 2011

These kids go to the Mickey Mantle school which is for kids that get left behind. They use to call these type of learning institutions, 600 Schools. Who knows, they might be fourth or fifth graders, and they got me real good. They began circling me and as I kept dodging snowball after snowball, one of them snuck up behind me and when I turned, he got me in the face with a cinder block sized chunk of icy snow…My Leica was completely covered as well and I had to retreat in defeat with just a few frames to console myself with…

 

© Matt Weber