Unseen Salt Spring

2014 Calendar Project

Salt Spring is a beautiful island in British Columbia, best know for its local artisans and vibrant village life. Less well known are the homeless people of Salt Spring, who are often go unnoticed.

The intention of this project was to highlight the unseen characters of Salt Spring Island and to raise money for the Outreach Program at the Salt Spring Island Community Services Centre.

Homelessness is a sensitive issue and these people are among the most vulnerable. I worked with support workers from Outreach to make sure that the project honoured everyone involved and that the people photographed were aware of the impacts of public witness.

The people that agreed to be photographed were very generous in sharing their stories.  Many of them were very clear about the mood they wanted to create and the tagline that would accompany their image to express themselves.  Marcie even suggested that I could do a whole calendar focusing on her.

I laughed and I cried; my passion and practice were fully engaged and I fell in love with these people.