A pale woman with short hair dyed bright pink, framed by a Downtown Eastside doorway, graces the month of November on the 2012 edition of Hope in Shadows, Portraits of our Community.
When Mike McNeeley spotted Farrah Cardinal he knew she'd make an ideal subject for the ninth-annual calendar, which aims to showcase positive images of the troubled neighbourhood. "I saw her as I was walking down the street. She stands out remarkably and her character came through on the photograph, too," he told the Courier. "She's incredibly vibrant and alive and hopeful."
Cardinal was addicted at the time of the shot, but moved to Abbotsford to be with her mother and deal with health and addiction problems, according to biographical information provided underneath the picture.
McNeeley lived in the Downtown Eastside for almost three years, but now lives in an apartment managed by B.C. Housing outside the neighbourhood. He studied art at Emily Carr and is enrolled in a parttime animation course.
More than 200 disposable cameras were handed to neighbourhood residents during a three-day photo contest in June in which participants took upwards of 4,000 shots featuring the neighbourhood. The top 38 were chosen by a judging panel and voted on by the community with awards for five categories, including Best Portrait and Our City Landscape. Thirteen pictures were chosen for the calendar. McNeeley won in the best colour photo category, in a tie with himself for another shot he took.
Some photos highlight individuals while others depict scenes such as the one selected for the month of March by photographer Sarah Ouellette. It reveals the view from the third floor of the Rainier Hotel, a 41-unit treatment and housing centre run by PHS Community Services Society.
Homeless and low-income people sell the Hope in Shadows calendar-17,000 copies have been printed for this year's sales. Trained vendors buy the calendar for $10 and sell it for $20. All the money from the transaction goes to the vendor. Additional proceeds support the Hope in Shadows project and help provide legal resources for low-income residents.
Paul Ryan, the project's director, has been involved since 2005-two years after it was launched.
Ryan said it took a while before the venture became successful. "Originally it was set up as a fundraiser for Pivot. At the very beginning it didn't make a lot of money. It was covering costs," he said.
Eventually, sponsorship and sales increased substantially-in 2003 vendors sold 1,500 calendars on the street, compared to 13,500 in 2010. Local residents have earned more than $500,000 since the project started.
Ryan credits the involvement of Downtown Eastside photographers, subjects and vendors for its continuing growth and success. "The idea behind the [photography] contest at the beginning was to dispel negative stereotypes about the Downtown Eastside. Sharing these stories of community and hope actually challenges generalizations that people might have," he added.
The top 38 photos from the photo contest are being displayed in the Pendulum Gallery in the HSBC building from Oct. 11 to 22. Calendars are being sold on the street and in some retail outlets.
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