What a fabulous presentation. Richard Smith is a long-term BlipPhoto Friend of our own Tim Haynes, and is not your typical gritty urban photographer (even though your correspondents had planned these gritty outdoor portraits on the basis that he might be).
Richard told us first of his transition from the rural landscapes of Argyll to the urban landscapes of Glasgow. The varying cones on the Duke of Wellington statue. A series of images of street art in their millieu. His take on ‘food photography’ – wonderful pavements and cobbles of spilled chips, coffee, milkshakes.
He didn’t dwell on the details of his gear, although we did learn of his fairly high-profile ‘street photography with a tripod’ approach that in itself requires a certain confidence with people to pull off.
Nor did he linger on the details of his composition – he didn’t need to, the photos spoke for themselves, as in the Deliveroo rider with shadows.
It was when he spoke of his second transition, from regular urban landscapes to ‘people photography’ is support of the Homeless Project Scotland, that his real passion shone through.
Taking photos that are deliberately intended to solicit support, in the form of volunteering or of donations, his photos of the service users and service providers of this project tell powerful stories of the lives and circumstances of some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged people.
Think twice before you try this. The subjects of his photos are often known to Richard through many weeks and months of encounters, developing relationships and trust. But not everyone knows him. And not everyone on the street wants to be photographed. Some night he works with a ‘security detail’.
As a volunteer photographer for the Project, Richard has strong incentives to make his photography ‘work’. We too can perhaps find that taking on some sort of photo project gives us an incentive to progress. What do we care about enough to want to take that on?
As to how to help the homeless, Richard’s recommendation is for donations to charities who know the score, know who’s who. and know who needs what – they’re the best placed to make a difference.
