The Man Behind the Curtain
by Kathleen K Parker
Title
The Man Behind the Curtain
Artist
Kathleen K Parker
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
When I lived in Atlanta for a couple of years after Katrina killed New Orleans, I met several homeless people in Little Five Points area of Atlanta. During an advertising shoot for a software company, the young owners of the company and I sat down with several of the homeless folks and talked and listened to them. We paid them for their photos, too, and the guys had small permission slips for the people to sign. Connecting with the homeless was a first experience for my clients, and they came away from this day with a much better understanding of people. So did I. I portray this man in my gallery with all the respect I have. You never know how people end up this way. It was really goood to listen. And the software guys got so into it. They agreed to help this man find someone lost to him. Life can be wonderful if you just reach out and connect. And by the way, people ask me sometimes how I get the people pics I get from people I do not know. Well, I just take time to connect with them through listening, humor, and caring. It is a wonderful experience for me to photograph people like John here. Thanks for reading this long thing! :) KK
PS The title comes from the pin on his hat!
Uploaded
August 9th, 2012
Embed
Share
Similar Images
Comments (6)
Jim Wright
wonderfully compassionate image that shows your respect for john. you conveyed his dignity and honored him with this image
Kathleen K Parker
It was very interesting and also kind of heart breaking, steve and Bruce. During the shoot, the two software guy clients and I took a break and got a coke at a nearby bar. I was about two decades older than they. And living here in New Orleans, I have seen a lot of things. But I never really had sat down on the ground and talked awhile to people who were homeless. We all thought that John, the man in this photo, could have been a college professor. We did not ask. or probe. We listened. They volunteered their stories and contents. The older I get the more I realize that there are few stereotypes! :)) Thanks very much Bruce and steve for your votes and esp. your comments. Means a lot to me on this photo! kk
Recently Viewed
