Many years ago, I made this picture of David on the streets of San Antonio, Texas. The image reminds me of how often we label people as something other than human beings with needs and desires just like everyone else.
The camera is a tool which can be used to unite as well as divide us. Pictures can be used to represent things to be feared or things to be desired. We are continually using images as a means to compare one look against another, one way of being against another. Images can point out similarities as well as differences, but it often the latter than we remember.
When I look at pictures of people who live on the streets or seemingly have less than I do I know that I have been conditioned to see their condition as different than my own. Somehow I have been trained to think of homelessness and meaning helplessness. I no longer assume that this is necessarily the case.
Homeless Camera Adventure is a project in Southern Oregon that seeks to empower people to express themselves through photography, tell stories, and experience how they see their world in ways only they can show. According to the Website:
The Homeless Camera Adventure came out of the desire to focus positive attention on homelessness. The homeless in America are too often ignored and contine to suffer as a result. By showcasing a visual perspective of some homeless individuals, we hope to personalize the plight of homelessness in America.
The project gives out cameras to homeless people and let's them document their lives in their own unique ways. What emerges is a refreshing look at an often misunderstood and misrepresented group of individuals.
Thanks to Richard for information about the site.