Fortunate

The other night I was walking home from work and strolled past a homeless person on the street that I almost took no notice of. For some reason the writing on his sign stopped me in my tracks: "In need of warm clothes or blankets". I had dozens - literally dozens – at home and all this man needed was one to keep him warm through winter. I had for each season. I felt disgusted in myself.

Walking On

What concerned me more was the amount of people who didn't even bat an eyelid at this homeless person - all the people just like me who had become desensitised to the poor in society and accept it as a matter of fact.

Pointless Career

As a professional photographer I spend most of my days sourcing the best and taking photos of them for a lifestyle and home magazine. What a pointless career. Yes, it paid the bills, but how was it contributing to society other than making us vainer than we already are?

I decided to start a photo project, snapping pics of the homeless people living in the streets and sharing their story. I started a Facebook page called All About Us, and it has drummed up a huge following. People love hearing other people’s stories and it has helped them to empathise with their situation and how they came to be there.

Mostly, I am proud of the fact that my project is making a difference. After uploading Ray's story (the first guy I photographed who needed a doona), hundreds of kind-hearted people came to his aid to help him out. I can't believe a simple picture can make such a difference. I have quit my job at the lifestyle magazine and am now solely focusing on my Facebook page, and I can't wait to see how it grows.

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