We All Have to Eat, by Stephen Chu

New York New York ! … there is nothing like it as they say and it is true. My long decade old summer trip to visit cousins and partake in a wedding was far to short. Like my hometown Toronto it waits for no one and speeds along with nary a care in the world. In one of my many walks by foot, the only way to experience Manhattan, I saw these 2 elderly ladies foraging around the freshly placed rubbish. They were but a couple of the many many people, homeless or not, that roam and scrounge the city streets for bottles and cans for recycling to make a few dollars. The dollars amounts will absolutely vary and dependent on how hard one works. I managed to speak to a man named Jose who was not homeless, but said “this is free money collecting all this” “I can make $20 or $30 on a good day” “it’s just for cigarettes and play the lottery” ” I get my government check and that’s it” … he does this 3 or 4 days and complained that there was a lot of competition. So when I saw the ladies I also immediately saw the Pigeons pecking at their food scraps for the moment until it is gone before the next search. Like the ladies the search for a living and for some survival, will continue. As I approached the scene, the image immediately sparked in me to think that ‘we all have to eat’ or survive regardless of how in a throwaway society, but as I mentioned the visit was to short so next time I won’t wait that long to make that decision to come back but do it in a New York second.

SONY a99 with ZEISS 24-70mm f/2.8 | Exposure 1/350sec @ f/4.5 | ISO 200 | Focal Length 55mm
We All Have to Eat, by Stephen Chu

Award Winner: Photo of the Day | September 09
Award Score: 66.5 (Value 12, Clarity 12, Composition 18, Style 12.5, Skill 12)
Photo of the Day Award Category: Street Photography
Photograph Location: Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, The United States

Photographer: Stephen Chu (Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Registered
‘Expressions, serendipitous, emotional, urban, beautiful, RAW, present’ … that’s what Stephen Chu says … Having lived in the USA for many years, this Toronto native returned to his hometown of Canada in 2016. As a well-traveled, past photography club event organizer he considers himself a lifelong student of the world. Unafraid and willing to try everything at least once he’s a foodie at heart loving all that is ethnic and diverse. He has a tremendous observational love for all of humanity’s quirks, foibles’ and emotions – what surrounds and encompasses society, something we call life. Purest in the sense, through his mind’s eye, he clicks at the RAW, as it happens and documents the moments that whispers in the wind. His compassion for those who possess less exceeds his own passion for reality. Ultimately he strives to imbue into his images a sense of humanity and through many years of continual training, honing his skills and practicing through the lens. As he journeys on this train, he’ll continue to strive and capture in his mind’s eye, the world and it’s never ending rotation we call life.

Website: http://www.picnchu.com
Gallery: http://www.eyesbychu.com/browse
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.chu.9822
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picnchu89