This image is called Hard and Homeless and was taken by the photographer Stephen Cosh, in 2012. Although the image is a bit outdated as well as not based in America, it still conveys the fact that homelessness is a serious problem that has had no form of overall solution over the years. Generally, homelessness is not seen as an actually problem, when in reality, it is a way bigger issue than people realize. One seems to think that another is homeless because that person is lazy and just needs to go find a job, when that really is not the case. The real issue is that homelessness is ignored and even frowned upon by onlookers. No one seems to want to help these unfortunate souls nor do they even seem to think it is a problem worth fixing. All of these social issues and viewpoints on homelessness can be seen and interpreted through Cosh’s photograph. The image truly speaks for itself and has no difficulty giving way to its meaning. Cosh’s image uses focal points, color, contrast, body language, space and unity to further convey his message. 

In photography, a focal point is something that the photographer uses to convey a message through an image. In Cosh’s photograph, there are two main focal points that the he wants you to focus on, the homeless man and the passerby in white. These two people are the first things to catch your eye in the image instead of the massive crowd. This is important because it puts the emphasis on these two people and will further play into the detailed interpretation of the image. Another important aspect that draws the viewers eye is the color of this image, or rather, lack thereof. The image is purposefully taken in black and white, and this design choice allows the image to have a deeper meaning. An image being in black and white adds emotion and atmosphere to the image it is depicting. In this picture the lack of color would make one feel bad for the homeless man and give a gloomier feel to what one is looking at. Not only this, but it would represent that there is no color or vibrancy in this man’s life. Instead he knows only his sadness and shame in having to beg for money. 

In addition to color, contrast also plays a major role in the interpretation of an image. Contrast shows a stark difference between things in a photo and is used to draw attention to certain places in a photo. One notices, because of the black and white nature of the photo, is the very obvious contrast in the image. As is can be seen, the homeless man is dark in color whereas the man walking by is bright white. Again, the darkness of the homeless man would show that he is in a “dark” time in which he has no money, food, shelter, or support. On the other hand, the man in white does not care about the homeless man and that is obvious by his lack of notice for the homeless he just walked by. His brightness shows that he is content and is not in need of anything in his life. In addition to these two men being highly contrasted, the crowd is shown as darker shades of grey. The grey color also does nothing to draw the attention of the one viewing the image and keeps the focus on the two men.

The color not only conveys a feeling of differences in lifestyle, but also add in a hierarchy to the image. The white color of the passerby would show that he is opposite of the homeless man both literally and in the sense that he is clearly in a better financial situation than the homeless man. Not only this but the man in white is noticeably higher up above the homeless man, making him seem superior to the beggar. This would indicate that he is better off than the homeless man. Although the man in white is an obvious attention grabber he, along with the rest of the people on the street in general are higher up in status, both socially and financially, than the homeless man. 

Body language also brings a deeper, more philosophical interpretation to the image, however, it does not stand out as much as other details. Cosh’s ability to include body image as a way of conveying a more in-depth story while still keeping the inclusion subtle is very impressive. One notices that, upon inspection, the homeless man is clearly curled up in the ground and holding his cup out for change. In addition to this he is looking up towards the people walking past him. This type of body language would imply that he is desperate for the slightest act of human compassion and is also a subject of pity. Having to beg for money would obviously kill ones’ pride and make them feel like less of a person, but one in this situation only has so many options to sustain their life. On the other hand, the man in white is walking past, his head is up, his eyes are forward and his hands are in his pockets, showing not a care in the world for the suffering man sitting on the ground. This type of demeanor shows a lack of care for the homeless man and he is clearly trying to ignore the beggar as he walks by. He is also clearly uncomfortable with the man begging on the street. These feelings and ways of acting are relevant in any situation with an experience with the homeless. Individuals will try to ignore the problem of homelessness while still pitying those with nothing to their names, which, in itself is a confusing contradiction. It is hypocritical to feel bad for the homeless yet do nothing to help or change the situation. The problem with homelessness is that it is not seen as a problem. Today people just walk by and think to themselves that it’s that individual’s fault that they do not have a home or job, when in reality, that is not the case at all. 

They way in which a photographer uses the space and environment to aid their image also adds to the meaning of the overall image. Cosh makes it clear that the homeless man takes up the least amount of space, signifying that he is not as socially important. In this case he is seen as a small aspect of a much bigger picture. It is also evident that the homeless man’s back is both literally and metaphorically against a wall. He has nowhere to go and no other option than to beg to support his life. He is backed up into such a small space that he is almost invisible, and would be if he was not a focal point in the image. Also, it can be seen that the massive crowd of people stay as far away from the man as possibly. This would signify that they want to ignore the fact that homelessness is a problem. They want to just go about their day and not be bothered by the “annoying beggar” that they seem to view him as.

The unity of an image also adds interpretation of the message behind it. Besides the man in white, the rest of the people in the crowd look similar and no one specific person stands out. This is relevant in that the crowd is representing the larger population of the world that just ignore homelessness and the extent of how large of a problem it is. The homeless man also has no face, so it could be anybody. Showing an anonymous figure as a homeless person shows that it can happen to anyone in the blink of an eye no matter the circumstances. Homelessness and bad situations in general do not look at people and decide if they deserve it or not, it just happens. It does not matter if one is rich, poor, a philanthropist, a veteran, the elderly or a child, homelessness can happen to anyone. This in itself is just why the epidemic of homelessness is important to bring attention to as the photographer has in this image. 

The image by Stephen Cosh, Hard and Homeless, uses elements such as unity, space, body language, hierarchy, contrast, color and focal points in his photography. Through Cosh’s use of these elements, the image clearly conveys his thoughts on homelessness without the use of words to explain his meaning. Although the picture is outdated, having been taken in 2012 and does not take place in America but rather in Glasgow, Scotland, it is still relevant in that homelessness is still a prevalent issue at this time. The rates of homelessness have gone up astronomically over the last several years, especially since the time this photo was taken. The real issue of homelessness is that people seem to think it is not a problem, but they could not be more wrong. So many innocent people are living on the streets with nothing to their names, through no fault of their own, yet no one seems to even care. The fact that homelessness can happen to anyone should be reason enough to try to fix the issue, yet the passerby act like the homeless are not even there.
