I'm Not Trash. is a project that exposes the uncomfortable realities of people who experience homelessness and aims to restore a portion of their humanity through detailed portraits and quotes.
I had the honor of interviewing these houseless people in the town I live in. I was able to spend time with them and hear a little bit about their story. I asked difficult questions and got even harder answers.
After I interviewed them, I asked if I could take their portrait. I did not tell them how to pose or what to do, I just wanted to capture the real them. I wanted their face to be the main focus because the face is one of the strongest visual communicators. The large size of the subject’s face allows them to express emotion, show their humanity, and create a presence that the audience cannot hide from.
I then edited their portraits and hand wrote some of their interview answers. The quote paired with their picture highlights the broken reality that these people experience on a daily level and cause the viewer to question their responsibility for treating homeless people “like trash.”
This project has challenged me to focus on people living in broken places and to expose myself to hard realities. It has shown how selfish I am with my time and money, it has exposed how much I complain, and it has forced me to treat all people with dignity and respect even when it is hard. I hope these encounters will inspire me to be more generous, to continue to build relationships with people experiencing homelessness, and practice gratitude at a deeper level.
