COLUMBIA, S.C. — The "Through Our Eyes" camera project gives 100 cameras people experiencing homelessness and allows them to show what they see in their daily lives. The opening reception in Columbia was held Wednesday night.
“We’re all humans, we’re all humans," said photographer Anttanesha Watson.
The project showcases the humanity of people in the community who are experiencing homelessness through photos.
“I was given an opportunity and just taking the pictures helped me realize there’s nothing to be ashamed of you know God sent these people to help us and we’re all created equally and in his eyes pure," said photographer Adriane Dyer.
Dyer is a resident at Toby's Place women's shelter.
“Unfortunately, I was coming off of a marijuana addiction and I had an open DSS case and that DSS case led me to meet certain requirements to my children back," she said.
Dyer said Toby's Place helped her get back on track and regain custody of her children. One of these children is her son Joseph who was the main subject of her biggest display.
“It turned out to be a beautiful painting like I never thought it was gonna look like that. He looks up at me and sees something and I look down at him and see something completely different," said Dyer.
Another photographer is Gregory Ford.
“At the time, I didn’t really know what I was doing, but as you can see, I turned out some pretty nice photos," said Ford.
Ford said this project has awakened a newfound love of photography and he now aspires to be a professional photographer.
“I didn’t know that I had an eye for it but just seeing things that I thought were beautiful in nature, I took pictures of and that’s what it came out to be," said Ford.
Anttanesha Watson receives support from Family Promise and has showcased a photo of her and her daughter Morgan.
“I was explaining to her one of the photos. I said do you know what they’re doing in this picture, she was like no. Well I said you know how we were homeless and people were helping us. I said they’re doing the same thing. So I do believe we’re all humans, we’re all humans," said Watson.
The project is funding money for the photographers involved in the project by allowing the public to vote for their favorite ones. The top three photographers will receive resources catered to their specific needs.
Other funds will be distributed to local ministries dedicated to helping the homeless.
The exhibit runs at the Koger Center through December 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to the public.