Photographer’s portraits invite group to see the individuals behind homelessness

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A Colorado Springs photographer is asking the group to pause and see the individuals round them.

Through his digital camera lens, John Goddard is partnering with Westside CARES to spark conversations about homelessness by internet hosting a photograph exhibit at Auric Gallery, which is positioned close to the intersection of North Nevada Avenue and East Boulder Street in Downtown Colorado Springs.

Goddard says pictures has at all times helped him decelerate and respect the world round him.

“It certainly enhances my appreciation of just about everything,” stated Goddard.

His love for pictures started at a younger age with a present from his father.

“I started in my childhood when my father gave me an old camera,” he stated.

For Goddard, pictures looks like magic, making a second to pause and soak in particulars which are typically ignored.

“People really pause and say, ‘Wow, that is really unusual, beautiful, and I’ve never looked at it that way,’” he stated.

Much of Goddard’s previous work focuses on landscapes or on a regular basis objects individuals are likely to cross by.

This time, nevertheless, he’s turning his lens towards one thing completely different, portraits of individuals experiencing homelessness. The exhibit options 21 portraits. Some are joyful, some are somber, and a few seize small private particulars, like a love for the Denver Broncos.

The challenge started with a easy query, Who’s our neighbor?

“A mother or a brother, a sister, or a cousin,” stated Goddard. “Someone who’s just like them, but maybe they haven’t had the same fortune, support, or family structure. They are doing the best they can. They are neighbors, too.”

Westside CARES CEO Kristy Milligan says the exhibit is designed to scale back the gap individuals typically really feel about homelessness.

“Folks see poverty. They see homelessness, but maybe it’s intimidating to get proximate to get closer to people experiencing homelessness and get to know them,” stated Milligan.

Alongside the portraits are poems written by Milligan, each giving voice to somebody whose story is commonly ignored.

“More than anything else, I just want to invite the community into a relationship with these messy, complex, imperfect, perfectly beautiful human beings,” she stated.

Goddard says proceeds from the sale of portraits and books might be donated to Westside CARES.

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