HN PHOTOS: “When the world is running down…”

HN NOTES: The above and following photos were taken this past Monday shortly after daybreak. The first two photos were made on the Hyannis Village Green. The third photo was made moments thereafter, a short distance away from the village green on Main Street. I had been driving along in both instances, when I suddenly noticed one and then another of these two blurry homeless women in the corner of my eye. Both just sitting there alone in obvious despair. In both cases my conscious wouldn’t let me keep driving by… and I knew I couldn’t get too close because I’m taken care of my elderly parents and need to limit potential exposure to the Coronavirus… but I felt the need to document their situation in the same way I had first noticed them, as blurry images in the corner of my passing eye…

These are the same types of images I drive by everyday when in a hurry to get on with my “very important” life… images that are usually easy to miss or ignore in my own busy fight for survival. If I were a wealthy man, I’d like to think I would be able to spare something to help them out. But the fact is I didn’t have anything else offer these women that day (or the many other homeless people I see wandering our streets during these trying times)… other than to respectfully document their situation for others to hopefully notice as well. And there are of course prayers for strength and courage that can always be offered, for them as well as myself (prayers help, and perhaps that’s another story for another time).

My job as a photojournalist is to document the current truth. And there are some truths my conscious will not let me drive by and ignore… like the fact we have people living on our town green like outcasts.

Taking an intentionally blurred image was the least I could do to make sure they are not ignored.