Portraying Beggars in Photography

Portraying beggars in our images, shooting at them pointblank, is tough. One should always be aware that our mission is to denounce and not to profit on people's misfortune. No matter how good your intentions are, it will always be hard and there will be a thin line between photo journalism and privacy invasion, between social report and unnecessary overexposure of the weak. Who are we to judge? No one.Will it help grow awareness? Certainly, yes. The camera is just a silent witness, a mere reflection of an instant in our collective reality as captured by one individual. There are so many moments out there that need to be recorded for our collective mind to be more self conscious!

Girl Smoking On The Corner, Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona

In the winter, at noon, the sun in Barcelona is not that high and the light can be as good as that you have by the end of any summer afternoon. Watching people from the shadows of less illuminated streets and trying to capture their sunbathed bodies, their backlit silhouettes with the camera is fascinating for photography enthusiasts. Today, an anonymous girl, surrounded by the smoke of her own cigarette on some Passeig de Gracia corner. Maybe you would like to check my Flickr photoset on street photography

Balloon Over Houses, Vic, Catalonia

Everything here is authentic, the houses surrounding a square in Vic, the balloon promoting a travel agency...except for the skies who were in fact quite gray and dull. I had to add some graduated blue effect (nik Color Efex Pro 2.0), some pink near the balloon and still they don't look very convincing. I do like the roofs and the brief appearance of the basket between the walls though.