Much easier to take pretty pictures..

and to hurry away from the unpleasant truths..



Thanks for looking.

Thanks for showing…

It looks to me like the man is doing midday prayers, no? (The woman is just passing by.) That is, it doesn't appear to be a discouraging scene to me. But perhaps there's something I don't know.

Ken Tanaka said:

It looks to me like the man is doing midday prayers, no? (The woman is just passing by.) That is, it doesn't appear to be a discouraging scene to me. But perhaps there's something I don't know.

Click to expand...

I thought he might be looking for a contact lens, I wasn't there so how could I know?

However, in all seriousness, knowing a bit of Fahim's photos/subjects and the small container in front of the man at the curb, maybe he was begging?

Bart

As far as I can guess, La Mecque is far on the right of the viewer (in front of the man) and the women is leaving away…

I think that this man is not praying but is just a beggar. For starters, he doesn't have a rug on which he should be praying and he is also wearing shoes which he is not supposed to do while praying. He also has a plastic container in front of him into which people can put money. Besides, the cobblestones and the latin alphabet graffiti on the wall indicate that this is not a middle east country but somewhere in Europe. A faithful Muslim would never pray at such a common place so carelessly where people can keep on walking in front of him all the time. And finally, Fahim would not talk about hurrying away from unpleasant truths if he was praying.

Elementary, my dear Watson ;-)

Cheers,

Hi Cem
you gave better attention than me and you're a good detective… you're right!

Maybe at first sight I've been influenced …

The dilemma I have is dealing with my own occasional cynicism at such scenes.

This is oft repeated, that same pose, in tourist infested places. I ask "Is this an unfortunate man pleading for food to live or is this just a way an actor who earns a living this way, right now. What difference might it be if they would all be all actors pretending to be dirt poor with no other opportunities? They still need to eat?

I'm both too sorry for down and out people and too cynical and that creates a constant turmoil! The solution: if in doubt, give!

Asher

Nicolas, Ken, Bart, Cem, and Nicolas...

Thank you all for stopping by and commenting. I thought this was a simple photograph of a beggar, but obviously I had not conveyed that in my pic. clearly enough.

Cem, my friend, your observation and deductive powers are impressive. what exactly is your new job...lol.

Best to you all.

Cem_Usakligil said:

I think that this man is not praying but is just a beggar...........................Besides, the cobblestones and the latin alphabet graffiti on the wall indicate that this is not a middle east country but somewhere in Europe.
Elementary, my dear Watson ;-)

Click to expand...

But my good Sherlock, is he indeed a beggar or just begging? That, if you don't mind the pun, begs the question.

My bet is that he's one of the bands of itinerant gangs that roam from one european city to another in the summer, to the dense tourist spots. My certainty is only 75% and hence the angst if I don't give alms and the sense of foolishness if I do.

I have spent some time studying them. This is a favorite posture and they work in shifts. I can't fathom how this is a good way of earning a living. However, there's always a great chance I'm mistaken!

I never even for one moment thought he was praying because of all the things you pointed out. I look at him as part of a play I have to pass. The only question I've had is how to tell if he's playing us or played out.

Asher

Hi,

Very nice shot... I just would have prefer to get the entire woman's arm
But tones are great and scene is interesting. Thanks to Cem's investigations !

Regards,

Cedric.

Cedric, appreciate you stopping by.

My best regards.

So this photo is Exhibit A in the old chestnut, "A picture is worth a thousand words". But the corollary and subtitle to that hoary old silly saying would be, "But it's usually the wrong thousand words".

I grind my teeth every time I read some dope, pro or amateur, say, "I love telling stories with my images." That, to me, is analogous to a toothy blonde beauty pageant contestant saying that she wants world peace. Photographs do not tell stories. Photographs CANNOT tell stories. They can illustrate and enrich stories. They can suggest stories. But you need language to tell stories. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions.

<rant off>

Nice street photo Fahim. It presented an interesting cultural challenge, too. I actually did not see the cup in front of the man when I replied, although I'm not certain my response would have been different.

Good photo, to be sure, but the title of the thread is what captures my interest.

I think Fahim makes a good point in that we often close our eyes to unpleasant realities. Still, there is value in "pretty pictures," also.

My question (challenge?) for Fahim is does it have to be either/or? Is it not both?

Ken Tanaka said:

I grind my teeth every time I read some dope, pro or amateur, say, "I love telling stories with my images." That, to me, is analogous to a toothy blonde beauty pageant contestant saying that she wants world peace. Photographs do not tell stories. Photographs CANNOT tell stories. They can illustrate and enrich stories. They can suggest stories. But you need language to tell stories. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions.

Click to expand...

Ken,

Thanks for that. I have lurked around here long enough to start thinking there was something wrong with me.

Ken Tanaka said:

So this photo is Exhibit A in the old chestnut, "A picture is worth a thousand words". But the corollary and subtitle to that hoary old silly saying would be, "But it's usually the wrong thousand words".

Click to expand...

This, Ken, is what I alluded to above but no one has responded to. It's not PC to consider the fellow is a fraud. We can describe what he looks like, but then we have to know more to say this is a destitute man. It's reasonable to assume that the "policeman" directing traffic is indeed a policeman. Here we simply do not know as there's a reasonable chance he's a fraud and not deserving of alms. I make the same assumption when a perfectly athletic person parks their BMW in a space reserved for the handicapped.




Without words, the picture illustrates that photographs can be so misleading even when not artistically altered. Fahim's image appears to show a man begging, for the less attuned to custom, praying or for the, (albeit, reluctantly), cynical, just preying on susceptible tourists.

For all these reasons, however, this unclarity of meaning, and its B&W documentary presentation, this photograph, (bereft of explanations or further proof), asks us to question ourselves about the subject of poverty. Moreover, it might even prod us to consider the homeless.

Not that art should have a social purpose, (it's fine by me when it does), this photo works well here since it does engage us. It asks us to look at relevance and consequences of what we pass by and what we do, respectively.

Asher

Asher, Ken, Rachael,

Most of you folks are probably right.

But I know for sure, that none of you is wrong.

Regards.