COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A Colorado Springs photographer is asking the community to pause and see the people around them.
Through his camera lens, John Goddard is partnering with Westside CARES to spark conversations about homelessness by hosting a photo exhibit at Auric Gallery, which is located near the intersection of North Nevada Avenue and East Boulder Street in Downtown Colorado Springs.
Goddard says photography has always helped him slow down and appreciate the world around him.
“It certainly enhances my appreciation of just about everything,” said Goddard.
His love for photography began at a young age with a gift from his father.
“I started in my childhood when my father gave me an old camera,” he said.
For Goddard, photography feels like magic, creating a moment to pause and soak in details that are often overlooked.
“People really pause and say, ‘Wow, that is really unusual, beautiful, and I’ve never looked at it that way,’” he said.
Much of Goddard’s past work focuses on landscapes or everyday objects people tend to pass by.
This time, however, he’s turning his lens toward something different, portraits of people experiencing homelessness. The exhibit features 21 portraits. Some are joyful, some are somber, and some capture small personal details, like a love for the Denver Broncos.
The project began with a simple question, Who’s our neighbor?
“A mother or a brother, a sister, or a cousin,” said Goddard. “Someone who’s just like them, but maybe they haven’t had the same fortune, support, or family structure. They are doing the best they can. They are neighbors, too.”
Westside CARES CEO Kristy Milligan says the exhibit is designed to reduce the distance people often feel about homelessness.
“Folks see poverty. They see homelessness, but maybe it’s intimidating to get proximate to get closer to people experiencing homelessness and get to know them,” said Milligan.
Alongside the portraits are poems written by Milligan, each one giving voice to someone whose story is often overlooked.
“More than anything else, I just want to invite the community into a relationship with these messy, complex, imperfect, perfectly beautiful human beings,” she said.
Goddard says proceeds from the sale of portraits and books will be donated to Westside CARES.
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