This shoot has been really tricky to set up and coordinate, and I understand why. The volunteers at My Friend’s Place (MFP), an organization that helps homeless teens get back on their feet, are very protective of their community. The individuals have all been through so much, and the MFP employees want to be sure that my photographs and interview questions won’t be traumatic for the homeless youth. As a result, they requested that I submit my questions beforehand, so they could approve them, and they also said that they would be on hand to run interference. I really get it—I would never want to risk triggering my subjects’ depression or anxiety.
Cut to the end of day—well, I needn’t have worried. The young people I met and photographed could not have been more open and welcoming. They were so engaging and down-to-earth; one boy was really invested in music, while another girl was extremely interested in marine life. Their homelessness did not define them, and I don’t think anyone in a million years would have guessed their situation.
Needless to say, I encountered a few logistical issues—that’s the nature of a photo shoot, I guess! I was taking pictures just behind MFP headquarters, which sits above the 101 Freeway in Hollywood, and it was so noisy there was no way that my subjects and I could have a real conversation. Between the freeway traffic, the buzz of cars on Hollywood Boulevard, and helicopters forever circling overhead, I couldn’t hear much of what my subjects were saying, and my recorder barely picked up any dialogue. Plus, my hearing aid processors were battling too much interference; it was like trying to hear while standing in the middle of a runway. I had to fake it a little by nodding my head, smiling, and offering words of encouragement: “You’re doing great,” and “Keep going.”
I’m thrilled with the final photographs, but my interviews were limited, and I can’t help considering the irony that a deaf kid like me—trying to produce a photo essay about communication and expression—literally couldn’t hear or communicate on my first official shoot. It was a bummer because I really wanted to hear more about their stories, but at least it was a learning experience. Now I know that if anything is off during a shoot, like being unable to hear my subject, I need to change it then and there to achieve the results I want.