As a proud New Yorker, there’s truly no place like New York. From the bright lights of Times Square to the smell of diverse ethnic food on every corner, the culture is admired by all from around the world. For my final project, I chose the Lower Manhattan region such as Bowling Green and Fulton Street. There’s an immense amount of history of New York related to immigration that many of us including myself can relate to. For that sole reason has helped create the melting pot that we know today. Some of the various locations I will be visiting are Battery Park, Ellis Island, the World Trade Center, and the Statue of Liberty. I have a couple of fond memories of my childhood like riding the Staten Island Ferry with my family, taking a trip to Govern’s Island in middle school, and looking up under Lady Liberty’s nose. Our past helps us to reconnect with ourselves so my photographs will have a historical tone and I will be going to these locations at different times of the day and weather conditions.
This photograph was taken by Suzanne Stein in the New York Part 2 series in 2017. The reason why I like this photo is because it shows that everything is not what it seems. Initially I saw a homeless person who has a cardboard box covering their face to hide the embarrassment of having to sit on the street and ask strangers for money. But then when I zoomed into the photo, from my perspective, “doesn’t look homeless”. Their clothes look clean as if it’s brand new, not rough around the edges like you would typically a see homeless person in New York. It could be someone pretending to be homeless for attention as a scam which if it was the case takes away from those who are in those situations who truly need the resources. Maybe that’s why they’re covering their face; to hide themselves from the criticism of being found out as a fraud. But it could be interpreted from various angles so I like how it plays with your eyes to believe if this person is truly homeless or not.
3 elements from the Steve McCurry video that are shown in this photo are Rule of Thirds, Diagonals and Figure to Ground. Rule of Thirds is shown by the subject at the bottom leaving the space above which if split into thirds, the person lands on the intersecting line. Diagonal lines from the brick wall and windows naturally give the subject’s body a slant to see their side profile. Figure to Ground would be the subject as the foreground and the reflection on the windows of the busy street as the background.
I think the feeling that Suzanne wanted to portray in this photo is the reality of what loneliness feels like to be homeless; assuming the subject is in that situation. New York’s motto of “mind your business” holds a heavy weight when there’s no busyness happening in your life waiting for a miracle to come by while watching that hustle and bustle of a city moving around you nonstop. The reflection on the window could also be a reflection of that person wishing to be apart of that movement and feeling productive. Giving them a meaning that they have a life with things to do and people to see but that’s not the reality. Being on the streets watching others not paying you any mind, judging you with looks to feel less than, telling you to “get a job” as if it’s easy when you literally have nothing. It’s sad and depressing which would make anyone want to cry if we were in their shoes. But there’s a flip of side of not knowing what or who to believe. There are people who do pretend to be in a less fortunate situations as a selfish come up for themselves once again takes away from those who truly need the resources to survive in this big crazy city.
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