I agree with you on all count, Kal. You don't spare the viewer or the subject or yourself. This is as forceful a statement as you've made on this subject, and you've made a number of memorable ones. This is an iconic image that hits us between the eyes. He can no longer bear to look at us. But can we hide from him?
Thankyou Phil. I promised myself that on The Journey I would not take pictures like this. I have already done this subject to death, though it deserves and demands our attention. This is the only one I took. I wanted it different to the others that share context with the subject, this was about confronting the viewer with despair. No more walking by, this is about being forced to look at this man and this subject. If you turn away, shame on you.
Yes, this is unbearable, Kal. Painfully so. It is as strong a portrait of despair as I've ever seen. You have abstracted it by shooting it as the hand came up to cover the face. We don't know if he is weeping, exhausted, or simply denying you a chance to make a picture of his face. It is an image that asks many questions of your viewers, and in the process of demanding answers from them, it may force some of us into giving more thought to this terrible issue.
