Visions of the Homeless: through the artist’s eye

Raven Partida doesn’t have any special camera equipment or training, but she’s been taking pictures for years. Many of her more recent photos are of homeless people, their dogs, and their environment. Prior to this new interest, she photographed a variety of inanimate things, especially abandoned buildings and homes.

Partida says that she was one of those kids whose, “head was stuck in the National Geographic Magazine.”

“The last 15 years or so I have been actively taking pictures—mostly of abandoned places. It wasn’t until someone at a Stockton encampment suggested I start taking pictures of homeless people that I began taking pictures of people of the street.”

Partida uses a Canon Powershot G7 camera and her Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for all her photos. She uses the Snapseed editing program in her phone.

“I love taking pictures of things that catch my eye,” she says. “Most of the time as soon as I take my pictures I know how I will edit them.”

Having spent so many years photographing abandoned buildings and inanimate objects, Partida is still learning how to take pictures of people.

“I love the people of the street,” she says. “I see beauty where some don’t see. I will continue to go where God takes me.

Partida would like, “to shadow a drug addict for a day or a homeless person to take pictures of how they survive and stay the night on the street as well.”

Like the best art in any medium, many of Raven Partida’s photographs capture a mood, express an emotion, or tell a story. We’ve included here a few of homeless people and their environments.

At its best, photography offers another dimension into comprehension. Sometimes, the emotional component of a photograph can convey more than words. That’s the power transmitted through the eye of the artist.

More of Raven’s photos can be seen on Facebook. Her Flickr photos are here. We’re looking forward to more of her new work.