Anthony
Martin: "How long have you been out here on the street?"
Anthony: "A year and a half."
M: "What happened that you ended up living on the street?"
A: "Well, me and my mother, our apartment burned down in a fire because the neighbors left their stove on."
M: "And then you couldn’t find another apartment?"
A: "No, no it was difficult. Because my mom lost her job after that. She’s in a mental institution now. She has schizophrenia."
M: "Terrible. What do the doctors say about your lazy eye? My son had a lazy eye too, he had to have a little operation."
A: "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah."
M: "You know that UCLA has a medical truck that comes out here [with the GWHFC] every week? You should maybe talk to them, maybe they can do something for you.”
Anthony: "A year and a half."
M: "What happened that you ended up living on the street?"
A: "Well, me and my mother, our apartment burned down in a fire because the neighbors left their stove on."
M: "And then you couldn’t find another apartment?"
A: "No, no it was difficult. Because my mom lost her job after that. She’s in a mental institution now. She has schizophrenia."
M: "Terrible. What do the doctors say about your lazy eye? My son had a lazy eye too, he had to have a little operation."
A: "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah."
M: "You know that UCLA has a medical truck that comes out here [with the GWHFC] every week? You should maybe talk to them, maybe they can do something for you.”
Overview
Homeless
On the street corner of Sycamore and Romaine in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Martin photographed the homeless throughout 2015 for Hollywood Food Coalition (formerly known as the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition), which was co-founded by friends Ted and Penny Landreth. The coalition provides many services, but notably, they have been serving hot meals made from scratch every single day for over thirty years. Through partnering with the Hollywood Food Coalition, Martin photographed and interviewed over three hundred individuals.
“Most of the people in this series are clients of the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition. I wanted to give them a face and a voice. The interviews are recorded on my phone and then transcribed. Sometimes it’s a five-minute exchange, other times it’s over an hour - it all depends on how much somebody wants to share with me. The interviews were then condensed to fit the Instagram format, as this series was shared on the platform. Editing is always subjective, but I try to present these interviews as authentically as possible, using only direct quotes from our conversation.
I am very grateful for everyone’s trust and time.” – Martin Schoeller
For more portraits and stories, please visit Martin’s Instagramhere.
![]()
![]()
![]()
On the street corner of Sycamore and Romaine in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Martin photographed the homeless throughout 2015 for Hollywood Food Coalition (formerly known as the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition), which was co-founded by friends Ted and Penny Landreth. The coalition provides many services, but notably, they have been serving hot meals made from scratch every single day for over thirty years. Through partnering with the Hollywood Food Coalition, Martin photographed and interviewed over three hundred individuals.
“Most of the people in this series are clients of the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition. I wanted to give them a face and a voice. The interviews are recorded on my phone and then transcribed. Sometimes it’s a five-minute exchange, other times it’s over an hour - it all depends on how much somebody wants to share with me. The interviews were then condensed to fit the Instagram format, as this series was shared on the platform. Editing is always subjective, but I try to present these interviews as authentically as possible, using only direct quotes from our conversation.
I am very grateful for everyone’s trust and time.” – Martin Schoeller
For more portraits and stories, please visit Martin’s Instagram
Martin Schoeller’s Portraits of Homeless People in L.A., Time, USA
A Celebrity Portrait Artist Photographs L.A.’s Homeless, National Geographic, USA
Photographer Aims to Raise Homelessness Awareness Through Stunning Portrait Series, People, USA
Photographer Martin Schoeller’s Newest Subject: L.A.’s Homeless, Los Angeles Magazine, USA
When A Celebrity Photographer Turns His Lens to Homeless People, Buzzfeed, USA
Martin Schoeller: Interview, The Photographic Journal, USA
A Celebrity Portrait Artist Photographs L.A.’s Homeless, National Geographic, USA
Photographer Aims to Raise Homelessness Awareness Through Stunning Portrait Series, People, USA
Photographer Martin Schoeller’s Newest Subject: L.A.’s Homeless, Los Angeles Magazine, USA
When A Celebrity Photographer Turns His Lens to Homeless People, Buzzfeed, USA
Martin Schoeller: Interview, The Photographic Journal, USA