41st SC Challenge - Humans from Earth - Winner!

donlaw

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Texas
Name
Don
Accepting that we have passed into the middle age count and 'harked back', it is with humility that I announce the next theme for our humble photo challenge.
Some of you may follow instagram, or in some other way heard of Brandon Stanton's wonderful Humans of New York series which has taken a life of it own with a book and furthered on past NYC.
If not, the premise is compelling. I have added a couple of links where you can see and read about it.
Humans of New York (@humansofny) • Instagram photos and videos
Humans of New York
The idea is to emulate this by taking a portrait (not necessarily a head/shoulder type) and then writing a short bit about the person(s) in the image. Since we are a global group, I call this the Humans from Earth challenge. The theme is as usual open to individual interpretation.
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The challenge will run for two weeks (approximately) and I'll close it on 4th of September around 8pm US Central time. I'll try to give warning/reminders closer to the date.

1. Either take pictures that match the nominated theme or select some from your portfolio. You must be the photographer that created the images in order to enter it.

2. Only one entry per salon, please. If you want to withdraw an entry and replace it with another, that is OK, but you must make it clear in the post containing your replacement pictures that this is what you've done. You can add or change the title and add to the edit line to let everyone know.

3. The decision of the curator at the end of the challenge is final - don't give him/her a hard time about it: this is just a friendly photo-challenge, after all!

4. The winner will assume the responsibility of curator for the next Salon Challenge, and as soon as possible post a message in a new thread in the SC Photo Challenges forum, with details of the new theme. Don't forget - that opening message must include a copy of these instructions, which also double as the rules.

5. The curator cannot enter his or her own salon
 
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Just to be sure, can this be someone we haven't spoken to so I could write "guy I saw on the street in Cleveland"?
That is great question Steve. I guess what I am looking for is not just the photo but some thoughts/info about the subject.
If you don't have a chance for any questions or to interview the person, then maybe just write a blurb about why you took the photo or your thoughts about the person.
 
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Noticed this young lady several times in our walk through the area. Usually she was with several others, all were homeless, and traveling the SW. I think the symbol on her cap was her motivation. With all the people stopping and moving around, the dog was most well behaved.

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Dog_A250152 by Micheal Johnson, on Flickr
Excellent example of a portrait of the young lady! Thanks for kicking off the challenge!
 
This is Darren, he was homeless and unemployed when I took this shot. He is now 40 I guess. He stayed with friends or on the street. He drank Stella Lager (a favourite brew for those who find themselves on the street) . He was estranged from his former partner and 13 year old son. He had mental problems and was once sectioned under the Mental Health Act at Runwell Hospital. He smoked roll ups and scavenged for tobacco from cast off cigarette butts. He asked me for a pound, I gave him a fiver...it was all I had other than pennies. I asked him to get himself some food and a drink rather than Stella. He shook my hand as we parted and thanked me for listening. I thanked him for telling me something of his life, for making me feel guilty about my comfortable existence.

Hope you don't mind 3 shots of Darren. They tell you pretty much everything.

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Darren
by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

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Darren
by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

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Darren
by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr
 
This is Luke Foley. He's our NSW State Labor Party leader. IN this shot, he was preparing for a speech he was about to give on what his party would do if elected, for our region in NSW (Hunter). He was surrounded by hangers on, reflectors, umbrellas and teams of photographers. I was there by chance and wasnt looking to photograph him (I was wanting birds at the time). It was my first outing with the newly acquired K200D and I had to shoot from a distance.

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This is Darren, he was homeless and unemployed when I took this shot. He is now 40 I guess. He stayed with friends or on the street. He drank Stella Lager (a favourite brew for those who find themselves on the street) . He was estranged from his former partner and 13 year old son. He had mental problems and was once sectioned under the Mental Health Act at Runwell Hospital. He smoked roll ups and scavenged for tobacco from cast off cigarette butts. He asked me for a pound, I gave him a fiver...it was all I had other than pennies. I asked him to get himself some food and a drink rather than Stella. He shook my hand as we parted and thanked me for listening. I thanked him for telling me something of his life, for making me feel guilty about my comfortable existence.

Hope you don't mind 3 shots of Darren. They tell you pretty much everything.

View attachment 128079Darren by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

View attachment 128080Darren by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

View attachment 128081Darren by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

Perfect! I was intending to do much the same thing. I know a fellow who loves to be photographed and will accept $10 for the pleasure. I met him during one of his incarcerations at the local psych centre, and then later many times in the street. These men lead a simple and impoverished existence... Well done, Pete.
 
This is Luke Foley. He's our NSW State Labor Party leader. IN this shot, he was preparing for a speech he was about to give on what his party would do if elected, for our region in NSW (Hunter). He was surrounded by hangers on, reflectors, umbrellas and teams of photographers. I was there by chance and wasnt looking to photograph him (I was wanting birds at the time). It was my first outing with the newly acquired K200D and I had to shoot from a distance.

View attachment 128082
He looks like he would rather be elsewhere! Nice capture Sue.
 
Perfect! I was intending to do much the same thing. I know a fellow who loves to be photographed and will accept $10 for the pleasure. I met him during one of his incarcerations at the local psych centre, and then later many times in the street. These men lead a simple and impoverished existence... Well done, Pete.
Thanks Sue, appreciated
 
Below was a portrait of a fisherman from a few years ago. When we talked with him, he was getting ready for the opening of the fishing season which is usually from Sept 1st to Apr 15th in Blacksea/Aegan/MediterraneanSeas around Turkey. He was normally from Eastern Blacksea reagon in Turkey and he was at the small fishing village in the Aegan sea area which is nearly 24hrs bus drive from his home. He was not going to be seeing his family during the fishing season. He was saying that they travel as South as Northern Egypt for fishing. He was working for the boat owner. I guess his story very similar to the fisherman around the world.

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Nets were ready to be loaded up:
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Still working late at night before the season opening:
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I loved seeing the images and reading each of these. I thought that it was a compelling idea to bring a story to the photograph instead of leaving them for interpretation on their own. Although discovering how people interpret your photos can be rewarding too.

We had six entries this time.
  • Micheal - I really found this image compelling and the story fit the challenge perfectly
  • Peter - Again a great story and really on target, but I would thought it more in the line with the challenge to pick only one photo. I would have picked image 1, but 2 or 3 would have been fine too. It reminds me much of the homeless faces that always where hanging around the University of Texas back in my college days.
  • Sue - I really like your story and although I know nothing about the person, he does have the appearance of a politician. I can't say exactly why. But there something about the expression and features. Nice story/image combination.
  • Steve - This is a very nice image of 'chemists' friends! I think there is a lot going on here and there expressions are fabulous. Nice job. I feel I would like to meet them.
  • Serhan - I find this story amazing and didn't really know much about the lives of fishermen like this. While it is interesting to see the nets and ship, it is a great story and I really feel it would have been right on target for the challenge if you had only posted the just first image.
  • Dave - Love the fact that this could have been just other photo of a older photographer with a long lens without the great story of his estrangement from the son. Nice story and right on target.
I really appreciate all the images and stories and I hope some you have as well.

My choice for a winner: Micheal - A nice image that keeps me wondering about this women's past and how she ended up there with a dog. And all the folk passing by, maybe not really seeing/caring what is happening.
I pass the challenge baton to you...
 
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