Diamonds on the soles

No matter where you live in Nairobi you are reminded that you live a privileged life.

I was walking along the street to the bank this afternoon and saw this boy lying across the pavement. He was obviously exhausted and completely dehydrated. His shoes off and empty as a pocket.

A few people walked past and looked unsure about what to do and as I took the photo I felt a real sense of guilt. Something I had not felt in a longtime.

When I first learnt photography I was fortunate enough to be mentored by David Blumenkratz, a photojournalist living in Nairobi. David saw that I came from well off family and challenged me to hit the streets of Nairobi and photograph the street children in the city. It was a tough way to learn photography but exposed me to things I would never have seen otherwise.

I then lost touch with David and he moved back to the USA. When I caught up with him years later he told me that one day his darkroom was raided by government officials and he was told he could no longer photograph street children. His photos were "too revealing".

Personally I believe photography has to have a purpose. And today's photo has made me reflect that perhaps it's time to re-evaluate mine.