Remembering Al

I heard yesterday that Al passed away.  I wrote about Al last year, he was the first homeless person I really got to know.  He was inspiring, I didn’t hear resentment about his lot in life, only care for himself and his friends.  He taught me about the realities of a life without shelter and basic …

Faces of the Homeless

In partnership with Portland’s Operation Nightwatch organization we organized a photo shoot for the homeless guests at the Downtown and SE shelters.  I hastily pulled together a makeshift studio, packed up the gear and headed downtown with my wife Sue and younger son Jon.  I wasn’t sure how this would go over but I trust …

A Winters Night in Portland

Continuing my exploration into Portland’s homeless community I came across a survey completed in January documenting the homeless in Portland’s Multnomah County on a single night.  First off, this struck me as an ambitious project knowing how big the city is and the all the out of the way places you are likely to home …

Reflections Of Homelessness

  I met D at the Operation Nightwatch mobile van site in St John’s.  Like many of the Nightwatch guests, D is a very friendly and generous person and he was willing to give me a glimpse of his personal story. He grew up in Washington state, the eldest of seven children and found himself …

Parallel Worlds

As I have begun to spend time meeting and talking with homeless guests of Operation Nightwatch at their various locations I have observed a consistent theme.  There is a strong sense of community within the homeless population, deep friendships are obvious.  I see a lot of parallels to the tribal communities in Africa, where belonging …

Portraits of the Homeless

Before I started capturing images for Operation Nightwatch I had little idea of the homeless people in our community beyond the obvious perspective of seeing them living and sleeping rough and experiencing the panhandling for money.  My perspective was shaped by my distant impression, distant because I couldn’t describe my interactions deeper than passing by …

Operation Nightwatch

Operation Nightwatch (ON) is a Portland, OR based not for profit providing hospitality to those in need.  Gary Davis, their Director, talks about the difference between serving the homeless and providing hospitality and it is an important distinction.  You don’t have to be homeless to need hospitality.  I found the following definition of hospitality describes …

So Close to Home…

In a recent conversation with Laura Valenti Jelen, my wonderful photography mentor, it dawned on me what really drives my photography.  Creating an image I and others really like is very pleasing, as is being selected for show in a competition but I get the most satisfaction from taking pictures that move the viewer and …