Downtown Eastside is the poorest zip code in Canada. It is also located just five blocks away from where the 2010 Winter Olympics in going to be taking place. This slide show depicts the poverty this area faces as the rest of Canada prepares for their moment in the spotlight.
The first image in this slide show opens by showing a man walking through an alley that is covered with graffiti. One image that sticks out in particular is "Homes Not Games." These images incorporate the rule of thirds. And the background speaks a lot of the subject matter of the photography.
The photographer uses the natural lighting and appears to be shooting earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon. The third picture is very interesting because of the shadows of the subjects he has captured.
Going through the slide show is like taking a walk through the neighborhood. You witness the homeless people trying to fend for themselves on the streets and you observe a woman smoking crack on a street corner and you continue on to observe a man getting arrested.
Some of the images are perfectly situated within their background. However, with some of the photos it is hard to tell what is going on. Image number two, for example, at first looks like a normal street but reading the description you discover that this is the aftermath of a fight outside of a drug rehab. In some cases I think the photographer missed the opportune moment to capture the story.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The photographer also captured a lot of colors in this neighborhood. Normally, you think of poor areas as dark and monochromatic, but obviously not this one. All the shots were bright and catching, which is basically the antithesis of poverty. Normally you want to look away, but the colors draw you in.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is hard to tell what is going on in some pictures. I first looked through the slide show without reading the captions and actually had no clue what was going on except that there were homeless people with dogs and a woman doing drugs. I went back and read the captions with the picture and it all came together and made me appreciate the photography a lot more. I think he did a pretty good job in telling the story with photos, but it makes me wonder, in terms of journalism: can photos tell the entire story or do they leave out important information?
ReplyDeleteZach, that's a great point about the juxtaposition of color and imagery. And Rana, you are exactly right to note how photography tells only the part of the story you can see in the imagery.
ReplyDeleteLauren, I'm really glad you posted this gallery. A wonderful choice.
I particularly liked photo 4. That's a great example of anticipation, no? And photos 8 and 9 show the drama of angles and perspective.