I worry that NY has dulled my heart towards the homeless population. Poverty on the street is such a daily part of life here that I do think I’ve become desensitised to it – it’s such a big issue that it often feels overwhelming to consider.

A case can be made that if you truly subscribe to the American Dream, that anyone can ‘make it’ here – all you need to do is ‘work hard’ – that you may also, perhaps accidentally, believe that everyone deserves to be where they are. That kind of thinking creates the narrative of the ‘bum’ that is so prevalent here, it’s a word devoid of empathy.

Josh noticed me walking around WSP and asked to have his photo taken (this is that photo) and when I asked him how I could send it to him, he said ‘do the world a favour and delete it when you get home’ – he then smiled & hugged me goodbye. He didn’t ask for food, money or anything.

I have no interest in perpetuating a Charlie Chaplin romantic tramp narrative here, he has a number of significant issues – but until then I’d lost sight of the humanity those issues can mask.

That interaction was pretty moving. When editing this photo I spent a lot of time looking at him in a way I haven’t before. I think it’s a beautiful photo, he’s a great model & it’s made me really check my attitudes towards both him and the wider community.