Every morning before school, 20-year-old Ariane Crummer walks past Golden Pride and sees the same woman stationed outside the restaurant without food. She has an oversized coat that appears too hot to wear, as well as a collection of dirt beneath her fingernails.
To Crummer, a junior psychology major, these features are just a handful of many that indicate homelessness.
“Her name is Linda ... she is the sweetest old lady,” Crummer said.
A project for an introductory photography class is what led her to speak with the woman for the first time.
When she passed by Linda in early October, Crummer said she knew she wanted to photograph other homeless people around Albuquerque for her environmental portraits project.
“That first experience really kept me going with the project,” she said. “(Linda) was so excited that I was going to school. She could have put the focus on herself, on how she’s homeless, but she wanted to know who I was.”
Crummer said she has spoken with about 30 homeless individuals since her then.
Although she has already given her class presentation, she said she plans to continue the project because it was such a rewarding experience.
Crummer has approached people on campus and on the side of the road, where she stops her car to hand out bags of food or spare change. She said she always starts a light conversation before describing the project and asking permission to take photos.
“You have to remember that, as a photographer you have to have good ethics,” she said. “You can’t just take from someone and not give.”
Overall, Crummer said the people she met in this past month have positively impacted her. She said she finds it shocking, yet pleasing when people agree to be photographed and say they are glad to be treated like human beings.
“I’ve listened to a story about a man being beaten and targeted just because he’s homeless,” she said. “They want to be seen as members of society rather than trash.”
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Crummer plans to continue building trust among homeless populations in other parts of the state.
“My family lives in Santa Fe now, so when I visit them I will go around and see how different the area is,” she said.
Offering a few coins, a sandwich and a conversation can go a long way, and serves as a reminder that people can help in simple ways, Crummer said in a recent Facebook post.
“They’re just trying to get back up on their feet,” she said. “Everyone has their hardships.”
Jenna Stoff is a reporter at The Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JennaStoff.
