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An Idea

Submitted by Rick on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 11:49am.

My friend Maitri and I are sitting here and thinking about what we could do to bring attention to the issue of homelessness in Olympia. She has what I think is a really good idea, and I'd like to know if anyone has ideas or comments they would like to contribute, or if anyone would like to participate (hint: Rob Richards...). Here goes:

Maitri is a photographer, and she was inspired by the movie "Born in Brothels," especially by the concept of putting cameras into the hands of people who have a different perspective than our own.

So, what if we made disposable cameras available to folks living on the street in Olympia (maybe through B&R). Folks could pick them up, shoot as many pictures as they want, and return the cameras. We would then pick the cameras up, develop and digitize the film, and return prints to the exhange point so the person who took the pictures could have them. The exchange could be anonymous (e.g., the cameras could be numbered), if that were a concern. The photos could also be accompanied by other things like writing, poems, or stories.

The photos and/or other creations would be displayed in an exhibit, as well as posted on the blog.

Any thoughts?

Rick's blog
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Wonderful idea. I could proba

Submitted by Sarah on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 12:48pm.

Wonderful idea. I could probably help if needed with posting the written material.

You might want to give some t

Submitted by Zak on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 2:05pm.

You might want to give some thought to people's privacy rights. If I were a homeless person, I would not appreciate another homeless person shooting my picture, and perhaps images of my family or friends, then posting our pictures on your blog or anywhere else for anyone and everyone to see. Are you familiar with the laws of privacy? And privacy laws aside, have you given any thought to the motives that amateur photographers would bring to their photography? Not everyone is ruled by moral behavior, goodness, and idealism.--AmZak

Being a cynic, I'm sure we wo

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 3:20pm.

Being a cynic, I'm sure we would see nothing illegal or any actions which might portray anyone in a negative light making their way to the final print.

To be fair, if you gave me a camera I would gloss over a lot, too.

I've done some video with fol

Submitted by Rick on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 3:28pm.

I've done some video with folks on the street in Olympia, and it's true that a few people didn't want to be videoed. I think we'd hand out some guidelines for taking photographs (how to be a respectful photographer), and contact people in the photographs for permission to ultimately use their image.

I'm pretty sure that not all pictures collected in this way would be appropriate for an exhibit -- there would have to be some selection process.

Do you have any specific motives in mind that might be a problem? »

Corrosive is often the effect

Submitted by Zak on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 3:59pm.

Corrosive is often the effect of living on the street. Corrosive to self-esteem, respect for others, ethics. Some of our brothers and sisters on the street may be positively transformed by the trust and respect implied by giving them (disposable) cameras. Others may take advantage in unpredictable ways. Too much oversight is a problem; too little oversight is a problem. What would Mother Teresa do? Zak

Well my best advice, as someo

Submitted by Rob Richards on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 5:55pm.

Well my best advice, as someone who shares his life with folks on the street, would be to hope for the best and plan for the worst. A lot of cameras are not going to come back. If you give out fifty and ten come back, I'd say it's a success. I don't know what Mother Theresa would do, and I don't really care, she's not here. I like this idea and I think it could be a positive thing for lots of folks.

I think it would be positive,

Submitted by The Fire Inside on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 7:06pm.

I think it would be positive, too.

I was simply saying that the portrait painted is going to be sympathetic, deservedly or not for some individuals.

If she could cook, she'd have

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Tue, 01/17/2006 - 9:45pm.

If she could cook, she'd have made a hearty soup.

Mother Teresa gave her life t

Submitted by Zak on Wed, 01/18/2006 - 8:22am.

Mother Teresa gave her life to helping the homeless. She had the good sense to focus her talents, time, and limited resources on what would help most, such as food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and love. If she did distribute disposable cameras to those still able to move around, she might advise them to make "something beautiful for God." Disposable cameras might provide an hour of diversion; they could be traded for cigarettes, booze, food, shoes; they'd recall to some homeless people negative thoughts about disposable people; other positive and negative effects. Meanwhile, the homeless person remains sick, hungry, cold, wet, and depressed. Zak

As far as Mother Theresa goes

Submitted by Rob Richards on Wed, 01/18/2006 - 2:37pm.

As far as Mother Theresa goes, my point is that she's not here and I am; and instead of trying to figure out what she would do, I'd rather make a decision based on my own experiences. If she was here, I'd definetly ask her advice however. But this is waaay off topic.

I can say with certainty that no cameras will be traded for any of the things listed, a disposable camera has no value. A real camera could be pawned. A disposable camera would just cost money to get developed. Being realistic about it, I don't think people will develop negative thoughts of their own disposability. Quite the contrary they would most likely be excited to be a part of something fun and interesting, especially if it produces tangible results that many people enjoy. The isolation of poverty leaves people feeling disposable, this will only make them feel included; a part of something, wanted.

As far as the law goes, anyon

Submitted by Rob Richards on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 5:47pm.

As far as the law goes, anyone can be photographed in a public place, with the exception of children, I believe. Out of respect, we should definetly lay down some guidelines for folks involved. Maybe only taking pictures of people who give permission first, and no photos of any illegal activity.

This would not just provide us with pictures of homeless folks, but a view of life from their eyes. Which I think would go a long way towards breaking down stereotypes. The advocacy center downtown would be a perfect spot for distribution/collection of cameras.

I know that I've overextended myself with new projects in the past and then didn't have time to really follow-through (sorry Rick). That said, I think it would be reasonable for me to commit to coordinating the BRAC (Bread & Roses Advocacy Center) end of things. If it's something we want to go ahead with, I'll bring it up to my co-workers.

Rob--I want to move forward o

Submitted by Maitri Sojourner on Wed, 01/18/2006 - 9:54pm.

Rob--I want to move forward on this project. Would you talk to your co-workers and see if you/they are willing to be a part of this? (In my other post to you about next week's homeless census, I asked if it would be possible during the census to get some feedback from homeless idividuals about this idea--what would they do if they had a camera? what images would they perhaps want to take? what might they want to do with the images? and etc. I think it would be good to hear their ideas about this proposal.) In the meantime, I will put together a draft "Being a Respectful Photographer", as well as some basic camera "How-to's" in the next few days and post that on this blog. My mind is racing ahead to posted poetry and images on this blog; creating a calendar with images and poetry with statistics about our area's homeless population to raise awareness; having a local art exhibit of the images; laminating pocket-sized photos for preservation for life on the street (maybe packaging them into a deck of cards format); and etc. For me, this project is about a) giving the homeless an artistic venue to tell their stories, and b) raising the consciousness of people who are not homeless, helping them understand that this issue affects the vitality of their community and so affects them. Thanks.

Let us do it!

Submitted by Rob Richards on Thu, 01/19/2006 - 1:38am.

Let us do it!

Hi, Rob--It was nice to talk

Submitted by Maitri Sojourner on Sat, 01/21/2006 - 10:25pm.

Hi, Rob--It was nice to talk with you a few days ago via phone. Rick and I will see you at Bread and Roses this coming Thursday at 9:00 am for the homeless census, and we'll talk with some homeless about our photography idea and see what they think.

I'm for it. If nothing else,

Submitted by Zak on Wed, 01/18/2006 - 3:55pm.

I'm for it. If nothing else, cameras will focus their attention for a few moments on something that doesn't directly hurt them. Zak

1/22 I just got back from

Submitted by Maitri Sojourner on Sun, 01/22/2006 - 5:36pm.

1/22 I just got back from the Colcannon (Celtic music) concert at SPSCC, and before I left I talked briefly wit Cassandra Welliver, who is the new curator at the new Minneart Art Center there (I've got a photo up in the opening exhibit there, and have talked with her a few times). I planted the seed of an idea with her about having a homeless exhibit there, which would be photos taken by homeless folks here in Olympia. Her immediate response was something like, "We could do it this summer." WOW! It's not any kind of promise, but I felt gratified that her immediate response was so positive. We may have more support for this than we dreamed!

1/22

Submitted by Maitri Sojourner on Sun, 01/22/2006 - 5:54pm.

1/22

I'm struggling a bit with guidelines for photographers. I definitely think we would prohibit the inclusion of any images that depict anything illegal (e.g. drug dealing, nudity, or etc.) But since I don't know the law, this would be hard for me to really know. Then, of course, you get into the areas of censorship--just what would be considered lewd, or etc.? So, I'll start the ball off, and please folks, weigh in . . .

GUIDELINES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR HOMELESS PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT

The purpose of this project is to a) give the homeless a creative outlet for expression and b) share your art with the community to raise awareness for those unaware of homeless issues. We hope that this project will help make Olympia a better place for everyone to live.

YOU MUST BE HOMELESS TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROJECT AS A PHOTOGRAPHER. IF YOU ARE NOT HOMELESS, BUT WISH TO PARTICIPATE, PLEASE CONTACT . . . . .

1. Please be respectful of others and take no images of people who are recognizable close-up unless you have their permission.

2. Any images (including negatives) that depict illegal activities (such as drug dealing, public nudity, or etc.) will be destroyed--no photos if this type will be returned to the person who made the images, and no such images will be publicly displayed.

3. Disposable cameras will be provided for homeless persons to use, along with paper and pencils. You are encouraged to make images that are meaningful to you, and that you might wish to share with others. You are also encouraged, should it interest you, to write something to accompany the images.

4. Please return the camera (and any writing) back to place you first got it after you have made your images. The film will be developed for you, and after a brief time you will be able to stop back by and obtain a free set of prints that you can keep.

5. When you return your camera, please indicate if you would like your images to be considered for publication and/or public display. THIS IS COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. Your images might be posted on an electronic "blog". There is also a possibility of having your images included in a public art show.

6. You may include your name along with your camera if you wish to have your name linked with your images. THIS IS COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. If you do not include your name, you can still choose to have your images publicized, in which case the name listed will be "anonymous homeless person".

7. If you have suggestions for other uses of your images, we encourage you to write them down and include them with the camera when you return it.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROJECT!

Looks good! I especially like

Submitted by Sarah on Sun, 01/22/2006 - 6:16pm.

Looks good! I especially like how you stress what is optional.

I just finished reading Dr. A

Submitted by Maitri Sojourner on Mon, 01/23/2006 - 10:49pm.

I just finished reading Dr. Andrew Weil's book, "Healthy Aging" in which he talks about people writing "ethical wills". He explains that a website describes an ethical will as "a way to share your values, blessings, life's lessons, hopes and dreams for the future, love and forgiveness. . ." Also, ethical wills are written by people at turning points in their lives--"facing challenging life situations and at transitional life stages." Maybe this could be a suggestion for folks who want to take photos, and who want to include some writing. I take this as strengths-based, in which homeless people can reflect and speak about their strengths, share their lives, their struggles and challenges, their ways of coping and de-stressing with the rest of the community.

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