Upfront and personal.

As winter turns to spring and spring to summer, there are something’s that never change; hunger in America, and the world, happens to be one of them.

When you walk around any major city, whether it’s New York, Chicago or your town, you are apt to see people who don’t have what we have. Certainly there are more people who are in need than ever before thanks to the economy. When I was walking in Chicago yesterday I would have trouble counting on two hands the number of people who were in need; I would probably need six hands—maybe more.

Like most pedestrians I tend to avert my eyes, or say “No Thank You” when they ask for money. I have no idea why I would say that since they are not offering me anything, it’s the exact opposite. I guess because yesterday’s weather was not very conducive to sitting outside, I felt in a giving mood. I was down to my last dollar---I was in serious need of finding an ATM---and when a man in a wheelchair asked for help, I said, “I am down to my last dollar, I hope this will help you.” Whether it did or didn’t, I can’t answer but it did make me feel good.

A few blocks away I saw a scene I have seen countless times; a man holding a sign, asking for food, and letting me know “God will be blessing me” if I help him out. Normally I would not pay attention to the sign since I have seen it so many times, but this time, with the way he was kneeling, I felt compelled to take a picture. (Of course, even though I had meetings in the city, I still had my trusty Nikon with me.)

As a photographer, it’s really not right to take pictures of someone who is homeless and asking for help, without asking them if it is okay…oh, and if you can give them money? It’s the second question that gets the best results. When I asked, he just nodded. He didn’t look me in the eye, didn’t see how much or little I had dropped in his cup, or anything that would let him know if I was cheap or not. Since I had gone to the ATM by then, he would have known I was not cheap.

I still am not sure why I stopped; I just felt this one homeless man needed to be captured in a photograph. Well, I actually took more than one photo, more like 25, but you get it.

The photo above was taken yesterday outside of Macy’s, formerly Marshall Fields on State Street in Chicago, and I can say with some absolute certainty, I was the only person taking a picture, and looking into his near empty cup, one of few helping him through a cold and miserable day.

Thanks for stopping by.