We first met when I lived at the Fred Victor and she would panhandle and squeegee nearby. Lisa was always trying to turn her out, telling her she could get a lot more money for a lot less work, but Slayer never did hit the corner.
Lisa knew her because they were both in Vanier - the womens jail - at the same time.
Later she moved in just down the hall from Lisa and I at the Woodgreen building. And by then she had a dog named Shiloh. I remember her sharing pizza with us, and one time while Lisa and I were fighting she came by and we shared some Jack Daniels.
That wasn't a good place for Slayer to be I don't think, with all the drugs and craziness in that building, so I hope she's found something better. Lisa would sometimes talk about the three of us hooking up sexually, but it never happened. Which is a shame because she always had such a gorgeous ass.
But seeing this picture on Flicr got me to thinking about the idea of photographing disadvantaged and disenfranchised people. Especially without permission.
The morality or ethics of it being too complex for me right now.
But it's nice to see someone I know in any event, and I hope she's doing well.
Photo :Pink Hair Blue Ink
Originally uploaded by The Taste of Rain
i take pictures of sleeping (or unconscious) strippers and the homeless. i love the juxtaposition, the vulnerability, the beauty and the sadness. i've amassed quite a collection, but haven't published a one. i just can't convince myself that it's "right".
I've taken photos of homeless people, but usually it's with their permission. I think the context in which it's done is what counts. Social commentary = reminding people fortunate enough to not struggle with having a roof over their head and regular meals to treat the homeless with dignity. I personally feel like it's okay to do then. But it's better to ask for permission.
xo - It felt weird seeing this pic and other ones, because I know these people.
I know people have taken pics of me before especially in the summer out on the corner, cars would come by and take pics of the "tranny whores".
I'm still not sure how I feel about it - but I'm leaning more towards the "it's not right" side of things.
When you're homeless, privacy is a rare and precious commodity - everything you do from sleeping, to eating lunch, to using the bathroom, is in some sort of way public. I don't know.
Thanks for the comment
anonymous - permission is really the thing with this one - or with any "street candid" . The candid part sort of means it's without permission.
I agree though that context is everything, and from an ethical point of view, so is intent.
What struck me and made me write this poost was how it made me feel almost invaded to see friends of mine in pictures by strangers.
And at the same time it gave me "pride" in a weird way - that my friend was "photo worthy". Which is a little odd, but it's how I really felt
Thanks so much for the comment - I always really appreciate them.
One thing I did once is "candidly" take a picture of someone, then immediately showed it to them. I thought, If they're pissed, I delete it in front of them and apologize, but if they're cool with it I give them the URL for my photo storage so they can go see/get the photo if they wish. She thought it was a great photo and was happy to have access to it.
Oh, and two asides - haha I have a cousin who's a guard at Vanier. Also, my union (OPSEU) just organized the Fred Victor Centre! Now all the staff there will have union representation to protect them against unfairness, AND they'll have bargaining power so they can negotiate for their jobs, benefits and other things that will benefit everyone who uses the Fred Victor Centre!
http://www.opseu.org/organizing/fvc/index.htm
@gwenstyles - so the Freddie Victim has a union? Good on them.
I'm writing a big thing about Fred Victor right now - I lived there - at the building on Jarvis and Queen for almost four years.
A million stories there, I'll tell ya :)
and y'know guards don't like being called guards - they're CO's (lol)
I wonder if the guards there develop the same aversion to green that the girls do after being there for awhile.
Thanks for the comments and (btw) I love your blog.
Hi, I'm the one who took that photo, years ago when I was still in high school. I almost always ask permission before taking individual portraits of people on the street - panhandlers, street musicians, performers, pedestrians, etc. I didn't want to disturb her, but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to document another public scene and another life in the city. As a photographer, I do my best to pass no judgment and just document.