Homeless Man & No Littering

Homeless Man & No Littering

© 2005 Martin Liew

Homeless Man & No Littering I paid a visit to the National Library today to check out Eye e City 2005 photo exhibition. I took part in the event last year and one of my pictures was selected, as shown above. I know this is not related to night photography but I just wanna share my joy with every reader here. Here's how I came about making this picture:

31st Dec 2005, Saturday morning. I arrived early at Waterloo Street and walked around for some interesting things to shoot. As I took the escalator up a level above the hawker center, I saw this homeless man sleeping soundly on the floor. I walked past him but as I turned back to look again, I spotted the "No Littering" signboard on the wall. As the wall was curved outwards, the old man's body lay just along the contour comfortably as if he was performing some yoga.

Initially, I wanted to shoot the old man as the main subject but upon seeing the whole scenario, it occurred to me that the old man and the signboard have contrasting implications. It somehow creates an awareness of homeless folks wandering and sleeping in the street with no one to look after them. These people are literally treated like "garbage" and the No Littering sign board speaks for them. Don't neglect these people and their welfare. This can be a serious social problem if attention isn't paid to them.

Nikon D70s • 18-70mm standard kit lens • B&W conversion in Adobe Photoshop with Level adjustment and minor dodging.