You oughta be in pictures.
Photographs from the camps.
This week I found myself admiring several photography projects involving homeless people. Photographic images are powerful tools that can be used for good, or not so good. We can use images of people vulnerable and suffering to make a quick buck, or we can use images full of dignity to demonstrate the image of God in all of us. These photo projects are among the best, showing reality as well as dignity.
The first exhibit is from the South China Morning Post. Not sure why this publication chose to do a photo story on homelessness in Los Angles, but I am glad they did. This set of photos shows the unvarnished reality of life on the street in southern California. Honest without being exploitive, these pictures help everyone understand the realities of homeless life.
In pictures: tackling the homelessness problem in Los Angeles
The next picture project comes from Horia Manolache, a photographer from San Francisco. He had the wonderfully creative and insightful idea to do portrait photographs of homeless people as they were everyday but also presenting as the profession they aspired to be when they were young. His wonderful photos bring life and humanity in a way that I have not seen anywhere else.
Portraits of Homeless People and Their Dreams of Old
The final story is about the power of photography, not necessarily the pictures themselves. A project based out of Denver invited homeless youth from Urban Peak to pose for pictures. They chose items that they felt represented who they were and then were photographed with that item. Then their pictures were hung in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. When the students saw their portraits for the first time they were deeply moved. So often our homeless neighbors have one vision of who they are, both emotionally and physically. Seeing themselves from a different perspective can be an incredibly powerful experience.
Homeless youth overcome with emotion after seeing photos of themselves on exhibit at MCA Denver
Thanks for taking the time to see homeless people.
Have a great day.