20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Reader from Shadows of the Tenderloin series

Shadows of the tenderloin Shadows of the tenderloin series offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of the roughly 3,800 people living on the streets of San Francisco’s historic Tenderloin neighborhood. Shadows of the Tenderloin depicts quiet moments in the lives of San Francisco’s homeless community- reading in bed above a bustling Market Street, a picnic on the lawn of City Hall, an exchange of smiles between neighbors passing by. As an artist, your environment is part of your inspiration. Passing by the homeless, it was hard to stroll by without seeing life in the shadows. Each photograph was taken with permission from each subject— yet they capture candid moments, offering a second-take to comprehend people so often overlooked. At first, I was not sure what to expect, but walking around the Tenderloin in San Francisco, it soon became apparent that I was the ‘visitor’ among people who were at ‘home.’” Their homes had no walls, no barriers, and I was walking on their ground; the ground some have been living on for 20-30 years [1]. The compelling notion is that these people are living their private life in public, just as they would if they were indoors; in one of the photographs, a girl is sitting beside her toiletries and shaving her legs. The homeless have become affable while on the streets. They have learned to share their space and welcome anyone who may enter. One photo captures a man feeding the birds, what is not captured is the man picking out his bread from the trash and sharing his meal with what he considers his pets, the seagulls and pigeons of San Francisco. This series explores the relationship between reality and representation. It represents the nonexistent boundaries of the homeless as they continue to reveal themselves to us, while we see them as shadows from the corners of our eyes. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Older-homeless-expected-to-die-off-soon-4387071.php

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 01.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: san francisco, California, United States of America
Copyright: © Dariush nehdaran