sophie_merlo
Thousand Yard Stare
In an alternative existence, Ingrid has grandchildren dandering on her knee. She rocks quietly in her chair in the evening, a cat purring gently by the fireside, But in this reality, Ingrid is homeless, wrapped in layers of woollies, living cold and alone on the streets of Bristol. I dread to think what may or may not happen to her at night.
I met her in the centre, sat in the alcove of a door, surrounded by carrier bags. Were they all her worldly goods in there or where they just as they appeared to be - trash? But those piles of old newspapers were precious to her.
Homelessness is tragic whatever the person's age or sex. But an old woman out there seems particularly wrong.
This is a new edit of a shot from 2015. The statistics indicate this lady is dead now. Average life expectancy for homeless females is just 52 years old so Ingrid was already on borrowed time when I shot this,
This is an unposed street shot of Ingrid. She broke into a big grin when I asked her name. Bag ladies don't have names usually. Maybe their names goes when the dreams go. How bloody sad.
(Don McCullen, whose work I have long admired, famously did the Marine in Vietnam with the Thousand Yard Stare which my title pays homage to and references.)
Thousand Yard Stare
In an alternative existence, Ingrid has grandchildren dandering on her knee. She rocks quietly in her chair in the evening, a cat purring gently by the fireside, But in this reality, Ingrid is homeless, wrapped in layers of woollies, living cold and alone on the streets of Bristol. I dread to think what may or may not happen to her at night.
I met her in the centre, sat in the alcove of a door, surrounded by carrier bags. Were they all her worldly goods in there or where they just as they appeared to be - trash? But those piles of old newspapers were precious to her.
Homelessness is tragic whatever the person's age or sex. But an old woman out there seems particularly wrong.
This is a new edit of a shot from 2015. The statistics indicate this lady is dead now. Average life expectancy for homeless females is just 52 years old so Ingrid was already on borrowed time when I shot this,
This is an unposed street shot of Ingrid. She broke into a big grin when I asked her name. Bag ladies don't have names usually. Maybe their names goes when the dreams go. How bloody sad.
(Don McCullen, whose work I have long admired, famously did the Marine in Vietnam with the Thousand Yard Stare which my title pays homage to and references.)