Who Has Experienced Homelessness? Photo Series Challenges Peoples’ Perceptions
A photographer who was given his first camera when he was homeless which inspired him to break the cycle of transiency has explored his past with a project that challenges people’s perceptions of the unhoused.
Christopher James Hall photographed 20 people, 13 of whom have experienced being homeless while seven have not. He exhibited the photos in his native U.K. and challenged people to see if they could tell which is which.
Hall explains to PetaPixel that while homeless ten years ago he was invited to take part in a project that saw him document other people who are homeless. His photos were selected by the local council to be exhibited.
“Seeing my work on display was to be the moment that inspired me to break free from the homeless cycle and become a photographer,” he says.
Can You Tell Who Has Experienced Being Homeless?
A decade on and Hall is in a better place, now a successful wedding and portrait photographer he decided to revisit the project.
“I was emotionally pushed as I revisited the place where I slept rough on the streets,” he explains.
“It was hard as I encountered new faces being supported by the charity. I was also met with a mixture of sorrow and excitement when I met the faces of people that I knew, people who were homeless at the same time as me, who were still trapped in the cycle of homelessness.”
Hall approached strangers to ask if he could take their portrait, something he found to be daunting.
“For each of the portraits in this project I had only a few minutes between the first moment of contact and taking their photograph,” he says.
“I didn’t have the luxury of finding a suitable location, I had to make the most of what was available for a background and light.” 
“If you have already heard my story you would know that I spent two years sleeping rough on the streets,” Hall writes.
The project has proven to be a success, just like the first one, it was exhibited and he submitted the project to the Guild of Photographers (a U.K. photographers’ association) which awarded him Craftsman status — an achievement Hall is extremely proud of.
“I have learned so much through doing this project not only in terms of the photography but also about myself,” he adds.
“I’m looking forward to taking this project to the next level as I continue to work with the homeless through expanding this exhibition and providing workshops and training via the charities who support them.”
The project is also on Hall’s blog. More of his work can be found on his website, Instagram, and Facebook.
Image credits: All photos by Christopher James Hall.