Tropical Conservatory, Botanic Gardens

Skid Row, LA

A very friendly person, "Brenda" made this her home for a number of months. There are four major missions close by where she could stay at night but she prefers living on the streets.

According to the other street people, this woman had once owned and operated a business with her husband on the street opposite of where she sat for over 4 months. She was across the street from "Brenda," pictured in the previous posted photograph.

Photo made in July, a terribly hot month in Southern California.

Tropical Conservatory, Denver Botanic Gardens

He's been living on skid row for over ten years, and when he asked for money he was right up front with the fact that he would use it to buy weed. As I walk through the streets there at night or early morning, the smell of weed is common among the card board boxes and tents that line the sidewalks. Drug sales take place out in the open in front of the missions.

After we talked for a while, she asked me if I'd take her photograph.

Los Angeles, CA

Manuel has lots of friends among the street people there. While photographing Manuel, one of his friends came up and demanded to know why I was taking his picture. After I told her, she wanted me to take everyone's picture, including her own. What I had told her was that I was there in order to help "tell the world their story." I'm doing it in order to show the world the faces of these faceless people, people whose value and dignity is denied and who most people don't like to look at. Many like to talk about these people as long as they don't have look them squarely in the eyes. So I do the looking for them. These are examples of what my eyes see.