"Portraying the homeless with a positive approach is a compelling reminder that we are all human.

As viewers stare directly into the powerful gazes, we are invited to actually look beyond the surface

to the strength of each person's character.

“Instead of presenting them as The Other, or, "Those people," and thus, by default, different from us, I wanted to photograph them in a studio setting, against a neutral backdrop, focusing on their individuality rather than on stereotypes.

In essence, I want to show who they are

rather than what they are labeled,” explains the photographer Jan Banning.

This is the mystery of godliness, that when we seek to help the downcast, God brings to light their inner beauty and it eclipses the outward distressing disguise that some have.