Portraits From The Street

Street photography is reputedly more controversial than it once was. Discretion and the ability to read your environment are crucial but otherwise, it can be a very rewarding experience. Seaside towns have long since lost their shine. Once proud guest houses have been bought and converted into flats and bedsits.  

Lower rents have long seen Metropolitan local authorities displace ex-offenders, the economically inactive and other vulnerable adults, since housing benefits/similar costs were commensurately cheaper. There’s also something very comforting, nostalgic about the seaside.  

Then there are those who fall through the cracks. I frequently hear the mantra that if you have the skills relevant to the economy, then you will be fine. In reality, small changes in circumstance can have dramatic and unforeseen consequences. It doesn’t matter how well educated, or skilled you are. The “perfect storm” can render any of us homeless. I’ve done advice/similar work in hostels and in outreach settings. I also came precariously close to becoming a statistic. 

Southend on Sea and its peripheries are familiar territory for me. In keeping with many other towns, street homelessness has become very obvious. Loss of employment, end of a relationship, leaving care, the military are all common routes. Alcohol/similar substance misuse is another, but they are also a means of numbing the cold, fear and isolation associated with it.   

Feeding someone’s habit is not helping them, so money is a non-starter. However, I often carry snacks and will buy food/ teas/coffee, etc. There’s no secret to this. If you treat others as you’d want/expect to be treated yourself, then you’re not going to go far wrong.  

Reading people and your immediate environment is crucial. If I sense someone wishes to talk, I will engage. The woman pictured wasn’t homeless but approached me while I was capturing some footage along the seafront. She wanted to talk, and I asked if I might take her photograph, in a candid, though flattering fashion.  

She happily obliged and after a few minutes, we went our separate ways. I headed to a Turkish restaurant/café for some food and diesel strength coffee. I headed back towards Westcliff, whereupon I met this man, bedding down in a shop doorway.  

I offered him some food, which he gladly took, then seeing my camera, asked if I would take his photo. I took a few frames, wished him well and moved on before my presence drew unwelcome attention. A few minutes later, I met this extrovert busker, who was very happy to be photographed.  

Finally, there was Kenny. He initially asked for money, which I graciously declined before we began a conversation. A generalisation perhaps but he was seeking a hand up, not a hand-out. His own journey to the streets mirrored the chain of events I referred to earlier.  

I asked if I could take his photograph, explaining that I wasn’t looking to create “poverty porn”. He too readily agreed and we talked for another few minutes. By this point, natural light was fading. We wished each other well and I headed at a smart pace along the London Rd. There by the grace of God...

Shooting with Sam

Sam is a novice model, who wanted to cultivate a strong port-folio. While modelling has certainly become less prescriptive, male models seeking editorial and fashion assignments should stand at least 1m80 tall. 

Sam stands 1m90 and weighs a commensurate 86kilos. He is looking toward fashion and lifestyle but very keen to avoid nude, implied, or similarly provocative style. Genres which might compromise his career prospects, beyond modelling.

Based in Chelmsford, Southend was within easy reach for both of us, and offers a decent mix of backdrops.

Having met by Southend Central Station, I took him to a favourite row of murals and shot a few frames to warm up, gauge camera settings and put him at ease. Several large retail outlets had folded, their premises shuttered and seemingly derelict. However, street homelessness was less apparent than September, when I shot with Gena Rose.

I didn’t want to reuse those backdrops, so we moved to London Rd. An alleyway, behind a row of derelict shops, to be precise. I was looking for a wrought iron/similarly industrial looking staircase.

These would provide a slightly edgier feel, while accentuating his height and build. Though seemingly deserted, being the alley was a dead end we needed to shoot quickly.

I switched to my Samsung NX3000 and 30mm f2 lens.

Discarded cans of lager, baby baths and a decomposing sludge also prompted more careful risk assessment.  Despite the heightened sense of alert, we progressed, uninterrupted and at a calm, purposeful pace for fifteen minutes.  

Next destination was a coin operated (and seemingly) self-service, Launderette.

Aside from two women (who later revealed they were hoping Sam was going to re-enact the iconic 1985 Levi’s 501 commercial) we were left in peace, to tweak settings, retouch hair, and thaw out a little.

Our audience was gracious but neither of us fancied a long, potentially difficult explanation, with an attendant, or owner. So, we smiled, nodded and moved to more salubrious, residential side streets. I’d parked along one, and clocked some garage doors, with peeling paint. Perfect.

Being private property, I knocked at the house. No-one was home, or at least, willing to engage. Therefore, being in full view of passers-by I directed Sam for several frames, and a total of ten minutes. By this point, (a good 90 minutes in) I decided we’d earned lunch, and a break.   

Re-fuelled, we headed to the Kursaal, and to our final set, since more wintry weather and low cloud were beginning to encroach. The old Grosvenor rock factory, and shuttered arcades proved perfect backdrops.

Heading back towards the station, we were approached by a young man, begging for money. I will buy food/coffee/similar but don’t give cash, since it is often used to fuel an addiction.

Something that became very apparent, when the man’s trouser leg lifted, revealing a badly ulcerated calf and foot, complete with track marks…All too prevalent in the once proud, and bustling seaside towns.