Invisible border
A couple of centimeters of glass can keep two worlds completely apart. It happens in prisons. It happens in the streets. I took this picture in a busy shopping street of Quartier Latin in Paris, in 2005. On the one side of the window of a fashion store, while their parents do some shopping, two children look at the unaware homeless man sitting just on the other side of the window.
A thin glass plate is the invisible border between young and old, rich and poor, symbolically separating innocent childhood and adult life at its hardest.
(Image awarded the 1st price in the category “snapshot of the month” by National Geographic and published on issue 8/2012 for the Scandinavian countries)
Andrea, this is a superb image – very poignant, with great composition and post processing.
Looking forward to seeing your photos from Kabul.
Thank you so much. I’m very excited about my Afghanistan trip too..
This is amazing.
A fantastic photo and very powerful! Well spotted Andrea.
Thanks so much. This photo works pretty well, yeah.
Great photo, great blog!
Great compliment too. Thanks!
Hi Andrea, I agree with you and I never publish pictures of homeless and even take shots of them.
But this one is a truly stunning and strong image. And furthermore, it seems he’s still wearing his dignity against everything.
Congrats.
Max
Thank you Max. And you’re right: being excluded from that world of expensive fashion accessories does not seem to reduce the dignity of this man at all. On the contrary, compared to the crowds of high-fashion lovers who spend fortunes on accessories that will last a season, this man seems to me elevated by his condition to a wiser, less materialistic and more noble dimension. But as always, to each viewer their own interpretation of the photo.
This is a brilliant photo. Compelling in its stark contrasts of realities even resonating on both sides of the frame. I am in awe of this shot.
Your picture is telling a lot!
Bravo! powerfull image.
One heck of a memorable picture
Thank you Olivia!
Amazingly evocative photograph, Bravo!
Fantastic image. A truly ‘decisive moment’
the faces tell a story. impressive, really