This photograph along with my other one for today, act as a sobering reminder of the fragile state of our country.
This is Andrew.
Andrew is 48, it was his birthday on wednesday.
Andrew is homeless. He worked as a builder, but when people failed to pay him, he couldn't pay his mortgage. The bank took his house and his wife left him.
He now begs for money near Borough Market in London. I gave him some money, which he said would buy him a coffee, some hot food, and maybe a couple of pints in the local pub when it got cold.
He occasionally gets into a hostel for the night, but had slept in a park and lit a small bonfire on the evening of his birthday.
Andrew is 7 months older than me.
Our undemocratically elected politicians would do well to look at Andrew's story, and reflect on their own excesses, and the obscene way in which they continue to waste our money in so many ways. They should hang their heads in shame, but they won't.
Wow, Sean. A wonderful portrait and a sad, poignant story. I love that you have gotten to know Andrew and his tale. Hope that his situation changes somehow. So heartbreaking when people are out in the cold!
Oh Sean this brought a big lump to my throat, we are all a whisker away from disaster. The trouble is if they have no permanent address you can't get permanent work so a continuous bad cycle. How he must look back & remember the good times & I hope the blighters that didn't pay him feel bad. The thing with being in business now a days is to get people to actually pay you what they owe! My brother in law has that problem just as the deadline for paying arrives they ring up & say somethings not right!
I feel for Andrew & such cold nights too, bet you think of him when you are warm inside!!
I think it's good that you bothered to find out his story and post that as well. Sometimes photographers exploit the homeless by taking pictures of them without knowing anything about them, but just to ignore them and pretend they don't exist is not the answer either.
Well said Sean and well done for the getting this shot and his story. My view is that our economic system needs poor people in order to function and creates this 'underclass' quite deliberately.
Oh that story really makes you appreciate your creature comforts and that there are many less fortunate people out there, that was a kind gesture to give him some money and take the time to find out his story.
Wonderful piece of reportage. I can't see things improving. I hate the way politicians carry on about immigration to side track the public from the real problems we have within our society. There seems to be an awful moral decline but maybe I am just showing my age.
A disturbing and uncomfortable image Sean, but heartening to hear that you gave Andrew some money for temporary relief... I like the gritty edit in Efex.....
So sad..... there are so many people really hit hard by this recession and I don't know the answer. Funny, I never stopped to wonder about the age of folk like Andrew. Seems we are just a few months apart Sean.
Well said Sean , it's very sobering that a slight of misfortune can change someone's life to this extent. You have shared his story- I wonder how many ask, but more importantly how he -( and so many others) can climb out of the vicious circle.
I feel for Andrew & such cold nights too, bet you think of him when you are warm inside!!
I hope his situation will change in a good way soon.