FMP Evaluation –
The
idea for the this project came from seeing and meeting many of the homeless and
those sleeping rough around Charing Cross station. Personally it was upsetting
to see people living in a station asking for nothing more than spare change but
to simply be ignored, most people just looked through them as if they did not
exist. This gave me the idea for the project, seeing if there was anything I
could do using photography to help.
Throughout
the project not only did I take some decent photographs but I learnt a lot about
who they are and why they are there, as well as learning about the homeless
community itself.
What
I found surprising was their willingness to speak openly to me and be
photographed. I have often found that as soon as a camera comes out people
change how they act and it becomes more difficult to capture what you want.
However this was not the case, all the chaps I met where very calm and acted as
though they never saw the camera; which in turn led to some good photographs.
There
was much to overcome during this project such as being in the right place at
the right time. With my subjects being homeless and constantly on the move it
meant long hours waiting in stations and surrounding locations for them to
arrive. Sometimes they would sometimes they wouldn’t. At points it was
difficult never knowing when or where I would be able to shoot but I knew this
when I took on the project.
If
I could have done anything differently I definitely would have chosen to
present it in a ‘Cover and Twelve’ format rather than an advert/awareness
campaign. It would have meant I could have used much more of my images without
the worry of losing context as well as using images that did not suit the
layouts.
I
do feel I have learnt much during this project not only about photography but
about what it takes to be a photojournalist. How hard it can be but also how
rewarding and downright interesting.
