On The Streets
This experimental DSLR-created movie of animated still photographs is a byproduct of my work with time lapse photography. Using an EOS 10D and a 4×5 Super Graphic to rephotograph my black and white photographs, the first thematically related group of pictures I reached for were these images of people living on the streets of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Some are homeless, some sleep in shelters. Some exhibit advanced stages of AIDS, some are mentally ill. An overall sense of destitution pervades most of these people’s lives. I’m told the situation has improved dramatically over the past few decades, yet there continues to be widespread heroin and alcohol abuse. Bowery’s booming real estate market and entertainment scene are slowly pushing these folks out of the neighborhood. A towering museum was just completed on Bowery, the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Hanging from the front of the museum, a large rainbow-colored sign that reads “Hell, Yes!” hovers in stark contrast to the daily queue of men a few doors down outside the Bowery Mission waiting to be let in for a free meal.
“On The Streets” (duration 3:24)
Photographs: Cary Conover
Website: www.caryconover.com
Massimiliano…
Guess who usually needs a cover..
The intruders , the attackers and
generally speaking the WEAK…
Think of a beautiful ancient
Greek or Roman statue…
Does it need any cover??
Any clothes??
Fancy techniques??
Photoshop??
In other words does a young “FRESH”
face needs any make up????
Laughing…
Bit out of the loop here but some great discussion going on.
To me the piece is both successful and a failure. I can understand why DAH latched on to it – he’s talked on here before about pushing the envelope re presentation and this certainly does it. But about halfway through I found myself tuning out, because I felt I was now just seeing and re-seeing the same thing over and over again. Not just the same imagery, but the same “moves” in the animation. It felt like a loop, and maybe that was the point (“caught in the loop”) but it didn’t work for me. It felt contrived. I think it would have worked better by half, or if there was something we could latch onto somewhere, a story of sorts of an individual(s) within the anonymity of the street. For me it comes off as an exercise, with the subject of homelessness as a handy subject at hand. A near miss and a valiant attempt, and I’m more than sure Cary’s heart is in the right place but sometimes the work can just be so absorbing and take so much time to make that it gets away from you.
I sometimes have that feeling about my Cobain pics. Often he becomes just a commodity to me that magazines want, and I have to step back to remember that he was a living breathing person with hopes and fears and a tragic demise. It’s so easy to get swept up in the two dimensional world of photography it’s easy to forget the three dimensional one that got us there in the first place.
And a big shout out to Panos and Tom Hyde for stopping by the studio this week. Sorry I missed meeting Katia as well but I had some diapers to go change!
PANOS said, in regards to me:
she is NOT STEALING from the homeless..
when she shoots , she shoots their happiness..
not when they are laying down on the streets..
KATIA is a saint…
panos, my dearheart, you know i love you and you know that you are Family with me.
but please don’t glorify me to be something i’m not.
and i’m most definitely NOT a saint.
i’m rather quite selfish really.
my street family brings me unspeakable amounts of joy.
my life would be but a whisper of what it is without them.
now that you have seen us together you know this is too true.
also..
i photograph every observable aspect of their lives.
not only their joy but ALL OF IT – the whole of what i see and experience with them.
yes, the happiness! and there is so much of that..
but also when they’re face down in their own vomit as was the case night
before last (which you would’ve seen for yourself if you could’ve
stayed with me!)- one of my kids swallowed 100 benadrl to get fucked up
and by the time i got there… yea… face down in his bright pink vomit.
of course i photographed it because that’s real too.
they’re not JUST happy, interesting, unique, colorful, artistic, resourceful, intelligent beings.
but they can also be fucked up, exasperating, aggressive, thieving, belittling, abusive,
bad-choice making son-of-a-bitches.
i want to show it all because that’s who they are.
saints AND sinners. not one or the other with me.
you understand??
good.
now get home safe.
**
Charles,
Thank U for the Cobain T…
Thank U for opening your door ,
Thank U for the Vietnamese …
Thank U for taking a “baby-break”
and
Honored me and Tom with your ideas,
Thoughts, opinions..
Tom,
I hope u made it safe back in Olympia..
(haven’t heard of u since…)
.. and again,
Charles,
the “TOUCH ME IM SICK”..
is sick..
:))))
Yes.. Gotcha…
You do photograph everything..
Happiness… VOMIT..
but you already worked hard and
established THE CONNECTION..
you have been accepted..
U gained access.. and you deserved it..
And I also agree..
Nope , u r not a saint…
:)))))))))
haha, good!
we are in full agreement. :))
mwah!
Thanks again for the comments. Something I wanted to mention was the link that was posted, the Polaroid Kidd pictures (http://www.needles-pens.com/polaroidkidd.html), which I thought was fantastic work. That’s a very different approach, very insider, very up close. Anyway Laura, your comment regarding “a story that can best be told by someone who is actually living it” made me think of him and how I had meant to mention it last night.
This movie was created about 3 months ago, again as an experimental exercise. A few people mentioned that it was too long and that it jumps around too much…all valid points. I’ve done a few other things since then that are a bit shorter, a tad more refined: http://www.vimeo.com/3000629 is something I did on pool players, and http://www.caryconover.com/nasa/interplanetary.mov is all NASA imagery. I’d be curious to hear what anybody thinks of either of those.
I realize many of you are still wondering why I chose this particular topic. I’m curious how common homelessness is where you live. I was pretty sheltered from this growing up in the midwest, perhaps that is why I have reacted to it as such later on in life. While I don’t want to resort to a “Don’t Kill The Messenger” defense, I still think it’s important to keep an open mind on what we are “supposed” to do with this gift of photography that we’ve all been given. For some reason I think of something I read about Salgado, how he was criticized for his work of the miners. His response was something to the effect of (in a heavy Brazilian accent) “I have this frame, I have to fill it somehow.”
We are just so limbic. The reptilian comes out with a camera in our hands. We still hunt, kill and scavenge.
But that dang old sympathy and empathy comes along and just confuses us. Stir the dust and say we can’t see.
You hip to that?
Jay
Back at you Panos. And remember the friend in the car I ran across? Check out his sick shit here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartisett/sets/72157594558926668/
be sure to check out part two as well.
CP
Oh, and it’s gray and rainy here today. You took the sunshine with you motherfucker!!!! Give it back! Venice has enough! Ha!!
How usefull are this images for the person photographed itself or for the photographer ??? missery is always strong and powerfull in images but are we care about those peoples ??? or they are just to help us as photographers ??? with their missery
And then the blasted neo-cortex makes us talk about and talk about it to death….
… and the Beovians…
Guide me home..
Home???
Skip that!
… Mo direction home..
Like a complete unknown..
Like a rolling stone..
Lisa,
I realize that many of us took art history. By saying this, I was trying to illustrate the point that it is the right of the viewer to decipher the artist’s intentions by using our art professors as the prime examples of ultimate decoders. Some of the previous comments made about this slideswhow seem to think otherwise…implying that the producing artist will be the only one who will truly be able to know and understand the viewpoint and the intention, and also implying a “how dare they!” attitude to those who may try to observe and realize the artist’s intentions. The first implication is true in that the artist will be the one to hold the work most closely to his/her heart, but my point is that we share our work so that the viewer “gets” and understands our views and intentions. Some may argue that all art is open to interpretation, which by putting work out there, is something else that the viewer may take into consideration. When I show my work, nothing makes me happier than when the viewer “gets” my intentions.
After reading the entire conversation here, there are many points that I agree with. Sometimes, I do believe that it is our duty to engage with our subjects (actually that connection for me is what portraiture has been about), but other times, I feel it is necessary to remain an unobtrusive observer. This is not to say that I think it is right to exploit the lives of others to make money in a commercial sense. There is definitely a line between observation and exploitation… I once took a picture of a homeless person in Chinatown, NYC, and I felt like I stole a moment from him…taking the only thing that he had to offer. So, I felt a little dirty after snapping the shot, but I kept it as part of my set because homelessness was a fact that exists in that neighborhood, as I was just trying to document the neighborhood and it’s intricacies as the everyday observer…So that was a piece I did for me, and do not feel as if I can claim to have captured Chinatown in the same sense that I would have been able to if I were a thread in that neighborhood. The pictures I took in my own neighborhood in Brooklyn, however, had a much more intimate feel because I was part of it’s heartbeat for 5 years…
Anyhow, I digress. I think that it is fine to continue photographing subject matter that may be seen as tired because it calls our attention back to subjects that may have been pushed to the back burner; and everyone’s take is going to be a little bit different. Perhaps what Cary was trying to do was to illustrate to us that there is still a huge homeless population in NYC. After reading further comments down, I see that he has responded by saying that it was part of the bigger NYC picture…like I said before, part of the city that is just that, part of the city. I don’t believe that Cary was exploiting these people, but simply exposing a saddening truth that still very much exists. As photographers, we tell our own stories and the stories of others, each carrying a different level of intimacy.
As far as the mentioning of David Hockney, I was just making the point that sometimes images themselves get morphed and changed prior to showing them. That’s all. I realize that that the presentation and the actual work are two different things and that presentation cannot disguise our intention. But, I do believe that it can add to the effect, for example, with music. It’s all in how we want to present ourselves and what we see.
“People will sooner aid a sick dog lying on the sidewalk than to try to find shelter for a sick person. It’s too much to deal with.” –Michael Zaslow
So, what’s being done to help the homeless?
Nothing!!!!
Charles…
I had no idea about Stuart I..
Cambodian gangs in America..
Amazing..
Thanks for the link..
… Haik is driving..
Me????
Riding Shotgun..
It’s raining in Venice too..
I’ve heard..
Damn!!!
I have no idea where my peops
gonna sleep tonight…
Not a great comparison in my eyes..for the most part dogs are unable to help themselves in our man made world..As John G said he was “Bought down to the basest of levels by MYSELF” and the do-gooder isn’t always a welcome force..I think I know who in my neighborhood is on the streets, and they aren’t interested in me finding them shelter. One homeless man-dog duo who were friends of mine (both have passed away this year) were without a “proper” home for at least the last 15 years..when Kenny was sick I’d sometimes bring him a meal or something hot because he was too ill to walk, but mostly he wanted me to look after his dog Susan, which I did. He actually got permission to build her a doghouse on the lot where they stayed..but Kenny didn’t want a house himself. He had a loving mom that he was in good relationship with and she had a welcoming home sitting on rolling acres. I tried when he got very sick to get him to go there, but he really didn’t want to. I tried to help with his medications, and he wasn’t interested..I offered to drive with him and Susan, help pay for airfare, etc..he said he actually had money but he would rather not. Susan the dog really was receptive of all the food and creature comforts I gave her; Kenny, though appreciative of what I brought him materially, really just wanted my company and knowing he had a friend who would look out for his beloved dog if he was to die before her. Turns out she at 15, died one month before him..
Nothing is right or not enough…
The images are powerful but it is empty without showing something being done to help people in that situation get a leg up. In this day, there are many that are helping. Shouldn’t those people be part of the essay too?
erica–
that moved me deeply.
do you have a photo you can share of kenny and susan?
once again, evidence of what a beautiful soul you are.
katia
Hi sweet Katia..I’ve been waiting for you to write in response to this essay..maybe I missed it? I never photographed either Kenny or Susan..it wasn’t something I ever considered doing..
to be honest, i don’t quite know how to respond to this essay.
my first thought was that this told me nothing about homelessness
(i think it is more about alcohol and drug abuse) and everything
about the photographer.
i was saddened to see stereotypes of homeless people fueled.
and i do think it contributes to the dehumanization of homeless people
to present them as mangled lumps.
i want to see faces, eyes, hearts. that’s what i connect to.
i didn’t feel connected to anyone shown in this.
i assume it’s been assembled this way to pull at the viewers heart-strings.
i guess that is somewhat a noble cause. it just seems a little cowardly on some level.
Panos,
Since you’re a visitor in our lovely city,.. here are a few online resources for you to study. Sure,. this isn’t NYC, nor do I suggest it’s the end all, but “something” is happening.
Here
http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices/emergencyservices/shelter/default.htm
erica wrote:
I believe that as people we are indebted to humanity, to give of ourselves as fully as is possible and to see our brother as ourself..but I take issue with the thought that as photographers we are indebted to the people we photograph in the narrow sense, ie that we launch an exhibit to raise funds to donate to their needs, or tell their story as they would want it to be told.
I agree with this 1000%.
it certainly is interesting, how we all approach things differently..Cary is a self-proclaimed photographer of “quirk” and went outside his norm to show us something of homelessness from his perspective…if you take a look at his work in his portfolio, there are some stunning moments there of NYC that only he could have made…and the way you work Katia, is so so invested, and so so rare and special
Well, Cary, this essay is a HUGE success! It’s got people thinking, discussing, agreeing, disagreeing and digging ever more deeply into the subject of homelessness, the ethics that define what is or is not appropriate subject matter, how we should or should not engage with our subjects, what works or does not work in terms of MM presentations, and basically what is or is not our responsibility to the people we photograph, those who view our work, and the social ills that plague our world.
I don’t know about you but my mind is reeling! This is just what BURN’s founding editor hoped would happen here and, thanks to you and your wonderfully provocative essay, it has. I just hope you continue to follow your gut and produce work that rocks our boats. Makes me think of the old quote: “The business of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” That’s just what you’ve done here and I say, “Good on you.”
Patricia
Cary–
just to be clear, i didn’t mean to say that you are a coward. I don’t know you at all.
i just meant that this general approach (snapping people when they’re sleeping,
passed out, intoxicated, covered in blankets) seems cowardly to me on some level.
only you know if you are a coward or not.
when i first started street photography years ago, i shot photos like this.
less than a dozen but i had no qualms about doing it in the least.
then a friend and i had a talk where they deemed the approach exploitive.
and that gestated in me for awhile.
then i emerged like panos and detested when people shot this way.
i considered it theft. absolutely.
now i don’t see anything so black and white. this is very very grey.
which is why i wasn’t sure how to respond to it.
i think intention is important to me.
i think intention sways what i think about a particular approach such as yours here.
Thanks Patricia and Katia everybody else. My mind is reeling as well. It’s hard to articulate in comments like this, typing things out, deleting them, rephrasing thoughts, proofreading, etc. Not sure about you all but I’m ready for the weekend!
I was reminded of something I read a few years ago, it was an article about Salgado and he was talking about the harsh criticism he received about his pictures of workers in a mining pit. I think the criticism was regarding how he would go on to make tons of money selling the work as prints, way more money than all the workers combined. Something like that. His reply to the critics was something to the effect of (in what I imagine to be a thick Brazilian accent) “I have this frame, I have to fill it somehow.”
I think the issues being brought up here (the message vs the medium…the degree to which we interact with our subjects…how suffering is to be portrayed…the responsibility of the viewer vs the audience, etc.) are all very interesting and all very worthwhile. And I think everybody gets an A+ for keeping it civil. Katia, I just looked at your pics and I totally dig what you’re doing. One of the things that was in the comment I just lost was that I also liked the pictures of Polaroid Kidd…also very good photographs.
I think there’s a pretty clear delineation here. There seems to be two general sides of the argument, two different philosophies. On one side we have those who think that as photographers we have a deep responsibility to our subjects, that we must engage with them, get into their lives, tell their stories, increase awareness through empathetic photography. On the other side we have photographers who simply wish to present the world in cold, hard facts and let history take its course. Of course it’s a continuum and we all fall in different places on it.
I believe that photography is a gift that was passed on to all of us, and I don’t think anybody has the right to claim what we are “supposed” to do with our cameras. I’m not somebody to cower behind the defense of “Don’t Kill The Messenger” and I don’t regret what I’ve done with this essay. I would hope most people agree that the most regretful thing of all would be not to have taken these pictures, to have left my camera at home. Anyway, this has been a good experience for me and I look forward to getting more feedback on future projects.
Cary–
right on!
and i’ve been exploring your site and your street photography.
some really strong work you’ve got there.
keep going.
brodie rocks my fucking socks off. i love that guy,
though i see he’s taken much of his work down.
there used to be a lot more of his stuff available online.
shame..
cary, thanks for helping me to expand my mind.
i do not want to look at things through preconceived filters.
i want to see things ‘fresh’ and i want to always, always grow.
thank you.
Cary :))
thank you for sharing your work with us. I think the discussion that was inspired and generated by the work is an important and necessary one. my only regret is how easily and quickly the judgment about a person and their orientation is made based on work. that’s a shame. but, that we have different views is critical and necessary and nutritious. that we castigate people is what depresses me. above all, thank you for your openness and willing to engage.
all the best
cheers
bob
Bob,
I’m glad you said this. I just finished reading through a huge chunk of these comments and was so fucking pissed by the end I just wanted to scream. Contrary to what DAH said, I found much of the commentary to be remarkably stupid. It was as if people were more interested in showing how vast their knowledge of art history was or how deeply concerned they are for the homeless. Less interested in the actual work or the photographer. Attributing nefarious motives. Jumping to conclusions. Ugh.
Cary,
Brilliant piece. Creative, thoughtful, unique. Excellent work.
ERICA…
who is asking you not to be just a photographer??
every festival with an upcoming deadline? :) I know it is something I could ignore, but it seems like multimedia is an important facet of the future of photography..but you are right, of course, it isn’t mandatory..
ERICA…
multi-media IS an important part of the new world of communication…you should always remember that multi-media is only a format, a venue, the equivalent of a page, but it is not the ENGINE…i doubt anything will replace the photographer who is able to make a strong single image…perhaps to earn a living you will need to learn to produce multi-media or have someone do it for you….just as many photographers in the past learned how to do a magazine coverage….however in my view, and based on watching past “trends”, the single strong image makers will reign…most particularly , and ironically, in the new world of multi-media where the novelty of multi-media packages will wear off and only those containing the most powerful “singles” will rise to the top….
cheers, david
Ah John you have done it again!
Just like your photos you have succintly expressed the concerns that it has taken so many paragraphs for me to try and failed at explaining.
Cary – Well said.
I absolutely agree..without the single image what do we have? I’m still distressed about the current focus on essays over the single :)..but I do love film (movies) as a story telling method, and now we have this new genre of fitting stills into a “short”..it is plenty interesting to me, and my love of film makes it that much more alluring, I just don’t know if I can handle the technical side. To be honest, I would love to be able to direct / work with people in other media to make finished pieces that include stills..but that is a whole other set of skills. I do want to try, I just hope that those willing to work with me can tolerate my learning how to communicate what I envision..I fear I enjoy collaboration but more so from the driver’s seat.
I want/need to agree that as worthwhile as the discussions have been, there was way too much judgement of Cary and his personal motivations for taking these photos and creating this essay. The phrase “poverty porn” still sticks in my craw. Such an undeserved indictment.
I hope we can learn to discuss/critique work on BURN without attacking the photographer or making unwarranted assumptions about his/her intent. As has been suggested before, asking questions is much more effective than making accusations.
Patricia
complete disagreement…
first thing i thought was “this guy knows where to point his camera”. Very strong individual pictures, please visit Cary’s website. Many here who think they are accomplished photographers should look at it carefully and learn something…
Also, why is DAH a great curator when you agree with his choices and a poor one when you don’t?
One of the things that struck me about this isnt the repetition but the outsidedness of the project. I simply never felt I was immersed in it because its obvious the photographer wasnt immersed in the subject, Its a fly on the wall, drive by style photography. Maybe thats what the photographer intended but it left me unsatisfied and feeling like only the surface was scratched, and only barely. I think this is very closely related with the repetitiveness of the piece, because how much variety can you grab shooting like this? The presentation was interesting but after that, what are we left with?
Cary, “those who think that as photographers we have a deep responsibility to our subjects, that we must engage with them, get into their lives, tell their stories, increase awareness through empathetic photography. On the other side we have photographers who simply wish to present the world in cold, hard facts and let history take its course….”
Yes, right on; and of course we all fall into each category at different times. For me, the best photograph was of the person walking down the subway steps with his / her (can’t quite tell) head partially covered. The epitome of invisibility.
And “I believe that photography is a gift that was passed on to all of us, and I don’t think anybody has the right to claim what we are “supposed” to do with our cameras….”
Couldn’t have put it better myself. Thank you for showing and contributing to the discussion.
Best wishes,
Mike.
It’s 3.5 minutes! Geeze, how do you scratch more than the surface in 3.5 minutes? All of this angst that the photographer didn’t solve the problems of homelessness and HIV in 3.5 minutes seems a little silly to me.
As part of my daily routine I check the Burn website. I lurk, but never leave comments. Today, though, I thought I needed to finally say Bravo to those who run Burn (I know it is more than David). We are being exposed to so many aspects of photography through this “publication,” more than the other narrowly focused websites. While I don’t like to debate essays — I rather take them in and internalize what they mean to me; words rarely do justice to visual media–I find the daily offerings inspirational.
Thank you for the hard work.
David
Yes, its 3.5 minutes. Its also pretty much only people sleeping on the ground. Take a look at Patricia’s essay, or Anton’s for example. Both are a similar length, yet they delve deep into the subjec, there is a real depth that comes from a real commitment to the story. I am not asking this to solve the problem of the homeless, I would however like to see more than grab shots of people sleeping on the ground. What I find silly is this sort of deliberate misunderstanding of what I wrote.
Yes, its 3.5 minutes. Its also pretty much only people sleeping on the ground. Take a look at Patricia’s essay, or Anton’s for example. Both are a similar length, yet they delve deep into the subjec, there is a real depth that comes from a real commitment to the story. I am not asking this to solve the problem of the homeless, I would however like to see more than grab shots of people sleeping on the ground. What I find silly is this sort of deliberate misunderstanding of what I wrote.
Another thing that interests me is how on the previous essay “American Dreams” you wrote that it adds nothing new to what we have already seen. I wonder what new things you see here.
Rafal…
Exactly..
3.5 minutes is more than enough time..
If someone can’t scratch the surface in 3,5 minutes..
Then , not even 3,5 hours would be enough..
ALL , morning from rainy LA..
we made it back home..
We brought a present back from Seattle..
Bloody rain…
Damn!!!!
Yes David; it’s daily routine for me also to check Burn!
Good light,
Mike.
Very useful, for every 1000 people that pass the images by, one of us stops to help. Images like this caused my family and I to reach out to those in need in our city.
A.Wright Vancouver Feb 09