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| Photo: © Stan Banos |
Debated on whether I liked this photo or not, and although nothing gangbuster for sure, decided I do. Below were a few thoughts that came to mind...
1) Simple, yet handsome lighting with complementary blue, grey and brown earth tones, subtly monochromatic in effect!
2) Reminds me of large format color photographs made popular from the eighties to present day- 'cept shot with a palm sized camera, arms outstretched fully overhead to 'manually' straighten them verticals.
3) And... this banal image lies like all hell because of its very context:
I'm not going to get into the reasons, causes and consequences of homelessness in San Francisco, another conversation I've engaged many a time here. Suffice to say The Bay Area is beset with rampant inequality and homelessness, and San Francisco's downtown streets are rife with the absolute filth and squalor of those both mentally ill and addicted.
The photo above however almost makes it appear as if someone rather casually chose a scenic urban setting, as opposed to a rural one to spend the day... 'camping,' like kid's in their backyard- an idyllic scenario nestled within a clean, metropolitan canyon. Probably good eats just a block or two away, no doubt- maybe with a cool, clear brook beside it!
The reality, of course, is much different- someone desperately avoiding the stench and insanity of the more crowded street encampments, trying to maintain whatever control of their lives they may have left for one more evening...
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