Hi George, One problem is that street people are too easy. They're just there, and most of the people going by with cameras are shooting them. They've become clichés.
Agreed. And its not really my cup of tea...but when in New Orleans...
Aside from the issues with this image, one of the things I found interesting about these street people (and what drove me to take this shot) is that they were pretty well outfitted. In other words, warm cloths, nice back packs and sleeping bags, you can see some of them have guitars and drums. They do not appear to be alcoholics. Most are young. They look fairly clean, well fed and healthy. Maybe there is a difference between street people and homeless people? In any case, this bunch was very different from the ones I'd call homeless, sleeping on grates, poor nutrition, in poor health etc.
I liked the contrast of the festive Mardi Gras beads with their apparent (but possibly not actual) poverty. There may have been better ways to get this shot but as is typical with street photography you don't get a lot of chances. Plus, I'm very self conscious about taking stranger's pictures so it was a one shot deal for me. Makes me appreciate the value of a good street shot.