Content
When deciding what to include in an image, think carefully about how it represents the people involved:
- Does the image reduce the person to their experience of homelessness? Consider ways to show aspects of their life beyond this single experience.
- Could the subject have eye contact with the viewer? Allowing connection can humanise and empower the person portrayed.
- Are you showing someone in a vulnerable or distressing situation? Reflect on whether this is necessary to convey your message.
- Could the image be exploitative, triggering or humiliating? Think about the potential impact on both the subject and audiences.
- Might the person be embarrassed by this image later in life? Consider the long-term implications of sharing it.
- Does the image reflect dignity, agency and complexity? Aim to portray the person as a full, multifaceted human being.
- Are you avoiding visual clichés? Be cautious of images that reinforce stereotypes, like people sleeping in doorways or looking pitiable or helpless.
- Who owns the narrative communicated by this image? Reflect on whether the story told is respectful and truthful to the person depicted.
