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Hit The Streets 104: Giving a Voice with Ed Kirwan

Guest User September 13, 2018

Take a listen here or on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, etc.

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This episode is made possible thanks to your support of my webinar series. Get quality education and support your favorite podcast at the same time, it's win-win. A new webinar is offered almost every month. Check the class of the month at on the webinar page.

Summary

We often talk about the power of the still photograph to raise awareness and how each one of us can use our storytelling skills to make a difference in the world. Today I invited Ed Kirwan on the show. Ed uses stills and a unique word to bring the attention of the viewer on social media and bring attention to homelessness. This is an important conversation, please share it.

Ed's Biography

Ed Picture.JPG

There are lived experiences out there that can put our own lives in context. Often they are too far away or too far removed from our experience to feel relevant. I want to connect people with these amazing rich experiences of distant lives to help see their own in a new context and with this new insight, do their little bit to change the world. I capture these through photography, videography and storytelling. 

My perception of other peoples lives was shaped by teaching teenagers in North London for 3 years. It ultimately opened my eyes to the huge injustices in the UK; wealth ultimately deciding education, health and success; it also showed me the power of words. Students, once I gained their trust, would take the words I said very seriously and literally. This is a huge responsibility and I decided to take advantage of this to ensure that these children left school as better humans and real members of society.

Teaching is where I found my passion for inspiring and influencing others to do good. I now focus on giving a voice to particularly rough sleepers in the UK as well as those trying to help them. Showing the person beyond the stigma, the motivations they have and the life they live. Once this public perception changes, homelessness can truly be ended. It seems an impossible up hill struggle but one which someone has to attempt. 

I hope in future to focus on other lives, bringing influence to a variety of causes as well as becoming a credible, reputable public speaker - my biggest aspiration.

Links to Ed's Work

Website: www.edkirwan.co.uk

The Homeless World Cup 2018 Prequel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrIdDJ7V9W0&t=21sHomeless

World Cup Foundataion: https://www.edkirwan.co.uk/mexico-homeless-football-world-cup

Trailer of the project: https://www.facebook.com/edjkirwan/videos/926043154242467/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edkirwan/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edjkirwan/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EjKirwan

www.givingstreets.com 

www.changeplease.org

www.wearebeam.org

www.linkey.org.uk

www.streetskitchen.org

www.wemakechange.org

Examples of Ed's Work 

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In Conversation Episode Tags Hit The Streets With Valerie Jardin, street photography, homelessness, Street Photography
©Valérie Jardin

©Valérie Jardin

Hit The Streets 52: Do Something For Nothing in NYC with Joshua Coombes

Valerie Jardin September 14, 2017

Thanks to Fujifilm North America I just had the great pleasure to spend a few days documenting the work of Joshua Coombes, the founder of #DoSomethingForNothing, on the streets of New York City. It was an incredible experience and definitely the most important photographs I've ever taken. 

Josh at Coney Island ©Valérie Jardin

Josh at Coney Island ©Valérie Jardin

Who is Joshua Coombes?

Josh is a young hairstylist from London who started giving free haircuts to homeless people during his time off, in an attempt to brighten up their day. The project, known as #DoSomethingForNothing, soon became his mission and he has been traveling to major cities around the world to touch lives, one person at a time.

Don’t forget to follow Josh on Instagram to see his before and after pics! Contact him here.

Josh and I have known each other online ever since he started his project 2 years ago. We’ve been following each other’s work, determined that one day our paths would cross, and I would have the opportunity to tell his story through my lens. Thanks to the support of Fujifilm North America, who brought us together on the streets of New York City for 4 days last week, we finally made it happen!

We hit the ground running as soon as I landed on Tuesday afternoon. Josh had arrived from the U.K. a couple of days earlier. I couldn’t wait to meet Josh and start documenting his work. My X100F was loaded and ready to capture compassion and hope.

Over the following four days on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, we met people from all different backgrounds. Homelessness can happen to anyone at any time. White or black, young or old, misfortune and adversity don’t discriminate.

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Working with my Fujifilm X100F was the perfect choice for this project. The 23mm focal length allowed me to be physically close, while its small size and silent shutter made it unobtrusive and non intimidating.

Every subject agreed to be photographed, but I didn’t start shooting right away, and Josh didn’t start cutting hair immediately either. Our first role was to listen, wipe tears and give hugs. We were always rewarded by the brightest smiles in the end!

What’s next for Josh? He obviously found his calling. As he recently wrote on Instagram: “This isn’t charity, it’s connection. It’s keeping all doors open to listen to others and learn.” I want to do all I can to support him in his mission to bring smiles in our challenging world, one haircut at a time. By doing so and sharing his experience, he is influencing others to also Do Something For Nothing, whatever that may be.

As for me, this project was life changing. I’ve been wanting to work on a humanitarian project for quite a while, and this is the perfect fit. Josh and I work well as a team, and the images I collected were definitely the most important photographs I’ve ever shot.

We wish to keep working together whenever possible to document other stories in other cities, to raise awareness and share the love. We are planning to write an ebook #DoSomethingForNothing in NYC in the next few months to raise funds to help Josh keep doing what he does with so much passion. We also want to show the recent photo documentary in galleries.

eBook

Below are a few of the beautiful souls we met on the street of NYC last week. This is a sneak peek! More photographs with their stories will be included in the ebook. To be notified of its release, please sign up to my mailing list.

Your help is important!

If you are the curator of a gallery or can put us in contact with a gallery interested in showing the work, please get in touch! If you can help with typesetting the eBook or in any other way, please use this contact form as well.

Take a moment to write a comment below. 

Here are some of the photographs I captured of #DoSomethingForNothing in NTC with my X100F:

 Tony #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Tony #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Tony #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Tony #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Smiley ~  #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Smiley ~  #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Terry ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Terry ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Terry and Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Terry and Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Terry and Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Terry and Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Melissa ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Melissa ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Michael ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Michael ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Michael ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Michael ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Roman ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Roman ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Irish Mike ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Irish Mike ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Sharing Instax mini prints from a little printer we carried in our bag. ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

Sharing Instax mini prints from a little printer we carried in our bag. ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 The simple tools of compassion ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

The simple tools of compassion ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 Tony #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Tony #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Smiley ~  #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Terry ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Terry and Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Terry and Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Melissa ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Michael ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Michael ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Roman ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Irish Mike ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  Sharing Instax mini prints from a little printer we carried in our bag. ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin  The simple tools of compassion ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Valérie Jardin

 

Below are some of the before & after iPhone shot that Josh shares daily on Instagram:

 Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

 Terry ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

Terry ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

 Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

 Tony ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

Tony ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

 Irisk Mike ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

Irisk Mike ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

 Janusz ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes  Terry ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes  Eveylon ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes  Tony ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes  Irisk Mike ~ #DoSomethingForNothing NYC ©Joshua Coombes

Please, share this important conversation. Thank you!

Valérie & Josh.

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In Conversation Episode Tags DoSomethingForNothing, Joshua Coombs, FujifilmX_US, X100F, Hit the Streets With Valerie Jardin podcast, humanitarian project, homelessness
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