Homeless photos

If you're looking for actual pictures of people who don't have a home... try this google image search this entry isn't about them. --Mike (May 10, 2006)

It's sad when a portrait loses it's home. Through the passage of time, memories fade, people die, and the photos lose their connections, they become homeless photos.Noran's mom had a special fondness for adopting homeless photos. She thought it was a very sad thing.

I find that the photos with a person happy and full of life make me feel good, wondering what they did, what joys they had in their lives. On the other had, not even having a name to go with the face, not having any other connection to the scene depicted, makes one contemplate the finite nature of life.

I'm worried that my collection of photos will eventually go homeless as well. It doesn't help that they're digital photos, and thus have an especially tenuous footing in the world. They live an ephemeral existence, mostly as magnetic fields on spinning platters, or sometimes as patters burned by a laser on DVD's.

I don't have names on any of them... I have no good reason for this. I've been doing a fairly good Metadata Advocate imitation as of late... it's especially hypocritcal of me to not do this simple thing for my photos, to help them from becoming homeless orphans.

From their view, the lucky ones get seen by family and friends on Flickr, my home page, or on South Shore by my fellow commuters. Most of them just get seen once or twice by me before going into the archives.

Homeless photos are a reminder of all passing before the sands of time. Only through effort do they continue to exist, to be shared and spread joy. Time is precious, please enjoy what you have. Please also take the time to name the people, to help give a little more connection, a little more life, to the photos and stories you share.

--Mike--

PS: Noran found this nice collection of found photos.