The salad, soups, and pastries are favorites.
May 9, 2017 5:04 PM   Subscribe

Martin Schoeller (previously) is a photographer whose Instagram feed is devoted to portraiture of folks visiting the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition, a volunteer-run organization which has been feeding the houseless and hungry for 28 years.

Health problems, predatory landlords, time spent in foster care or prison, substance use disorders, and being turned away by family because of gender or sexuality are common threads in the accompanying mini-interviews. Portraits include:
Larry, a nurse for 21 years until he got cancer
Eva, 18 years old
Wayne, who went to Magic Mountain “about a hundred times in a row”
David, a full-time college student
Javier, of the White Mountain Apache
Devin, who feels bad for having been “such a dick” about the homeless before experiencing homelessness himself
Barb, a retired teacher
Darlene, Debra, and Winter, a family unit
posted by sutureselves (6 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm at the tail end of a portrait project myself. My subject matter is comedy people, and I even find that emotionally exhausting. These are fantastic, intense and really nicely done. Thanks for posting, this is a follow for sure.
posted by nevercalm at 6:42 PM on May 9, 2017


Potent portraiture. There's so much going on in those faces... pain, anger and fear, but also glimpses of humor, dignity, beauty and hope. Together, a needed reminder that homeless people are individuals too.
posted by kinnakeet at 6:54 PM on May 9, 2017


These are powerful, and it's neat to put faces to the charitable organization whose harassment by private Business Improvement District cops and lobbyists I've been following on the essential Michael Kohlhaas blog.
posted by Scram at 9:50 PM on May 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


And here's yr friendly reminder: don't read the comments, or at least think very hard before deciding whether to allow the comments into your mental life. Even Instagram houses some real shitbirds.

Thanks for the post, sutureselves!
posted by penduluum at 4:52 AM on May 10, 2017 [2 favorites]


Wow, he's really got a gift. These portraits are moving and beautiful.

I grew up in West Hollywood, and it always warms my heart to see how invested the community is in people from all walks of life, and how much compassion I see, even in tiny moments. The painful thing, of course, is this is what conservatives/republicans talk about when they say they want to cut government services yet they scorn the very people who are helping others and those who need help, themselves.

Also, while looking through Schoeller's outstanding professional photos, I found this two-page spread from 2005 of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Mind boggling.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:23 AM on May 10, 2017 [2 favorites]


I hope the Winter (the 14 year old girl) gets back up to Alaska safe and sound.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:55 AM on May 10, 2017 [1 favorite]


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