He seemed about to collapse. I had just photographed the cafe tables on this plaza and took his picture by reflex, not so much intent. When I moved toward him to ask if he needed help, he straighted up and moved to the bus bench, where he looked up and down the street with some sense of privacy and dignity intact. I didn't want to disrupt that sense any further. But I thought about it for hours afterwards.
Being in a visual mode to capture images divorces you, however slightly, form the moral continuum of perception, response, and action. This experience made me question what dimension of the city experience I was missing completely by walking through the skyways as a visual predator, and not so much a citizen, a man, a companion to those around me. I know there is a strong message about this man, his circumstances, and the dynamics of the city excluded by the skyways logistics. But that message only exists in this image for now. I will work on giving it some context as I continue this project.
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