Poverty and homelessness photography

“If truth is what you seek, then the examined life will only take you on a long ride to the limits of solitude and leave you by the side of the road with your truth and nothing else.” — Thomas Ligotti

Unhappy soul in a doorway of St John's Church, Wolverhampton Please View Large On Black

On a given night in the United States, there are around 550,000 homeless people. 1/3 of these people are under the age of 24. 65% of homeless are individuals while the other 35% are families. The numbers of homeless have been increasing over the years. Reasons for the increase of homeless include not being able to afford housing and poverty.

I stare at this image a lot. I ask myself how . . . and why . . . and feel so helpless in making a difference. I know a lot of people care. I know a lot more people are living at the door's edge a paycheck away from homelessness on the streets. And that's a scary place to be. It's a scene each and everyone of us could end up in given a wrong set of circumstances or decisions.

It is ironic that Christians are often viewed as unconcerned about social justice issues. After all, many orphanages, rescue missions, schools, feeding

Photo listed in Street Photography. Shot taken in Mauritius with NIKON D7100.

There are times I'm critisized for taking informal portraits or street photography images of the poorest of the poor. I get it. It's something that many feel is opportunistic and wrong. I would like to let those critics know that it's not easy for me to drum up the courage to approach these unfortunate souls and ask to take their picture. It's much easier to walk past the homeless, pretend not to see them and avoid making eye contact. My hope and reason for imaging them and sharing the…