Young Photographer Tells the Story of the Homeless

I found the story of 17-year-old photographer Lia Denbok on an email from change.org.  Lia is from Collingwood, ON and has been taking pictures since she was 14.  Inspired by the work of  British photographer Lee Jeffries who photographed homeless people, Lia decided to do the same.

Teen photographer Lia Denbock

She and her dad walk the streets of Toronto, New York, Barrie and other cities meeting people who are homeless.  They explain their project and pay their models.  While Lia takes their pictures, her dad, Tim Denbok speaks with the person and listens to some of their life story.

This project is especially important to Lia because her own mother Sara Denbok was found on the streets of Calcutta alone and injured at age 3.  The police took her to Mother Teresa’s orphanage where she lived for a few years before being adopted by a couple from Stayner, ON.

Lia’s mission is to highlight the problem of homelessness as well as to humanize the people who are homeless.  Once she starts to photograph each person, they become just that – a person like any other.   Lia is publishing a book called Nowhere to Call Home with 40 of her photos alongside the stories of each person.  The book will be released in the fall and all of the proceeds will go to the Barrie Bayside Mission Centre.

You can watch a 10 minute clip from CBC’s The National about this project here . Lia is passionate about her work and inspiring to listen to.  Here are some of her photos from her Instagram page.  You can also follow Leah’s work on Instagram at this link.   This is a young woman who is telling our new story.

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