Cathy Malia Lowenberg doesn't consider herself a street photographer.
She took snapshots of people she knew with an iPhone 13. But she wanted to document people who are experiencing homelessness.
Although another street photographer told her it's taboo to take photos of homeless people, Lowenberg said it was consensual.
"They say the eye is the window to the soul," Lowenberg said. "If you can look at someone in the eye, whether it's a photograph or in person, there's an opportunity to connect with people you wouldn't normally connect with."
Lowenberg, an attorney, carried a binder full of intimate portraits of people living on the streets of Downtown Honolulu to give back to them. Some are smiling, covered in tattoos, and posing with their dogs.
She said taking portraits of people living on the streets was a personal project.
But Lowenberg was encouraged by Nessa Ferreira-Vierra, who has been homeless for 15 years and lives on Chinatown's River Street, to showcase the photos to the public.
Lowenberg's portraits are an act of noticing people on the streets and listening to their personal stories.
"Most people take pictures of the homeless to catch them doing something they're not supposed to do," Ferreira-Vierra said.
"They take pictures of them in weird positions. She never did. She came from the heart."
Lowenberg and Ferreira-Vierra coordinated a pop-up event outside Black Cat Tattoo in Chinatown on a recent Friday.
A string of portraits were lined up at the corner of Nuʻuanu Avenue and South Hotel Street. Many people in the photos gathered at the outdoor venue. Some came from River Street, Thomas Square Park and downtown, asking to get their portraits taken.
Joshua Oreta spotted his portrait with his 8-month-old pit bull, Blue.
"It was a hard time," Oreta said. "I just got out of a relationship and had nowhere to go. I came downtown, and then this lady wanted to take a picture of me. It made me feel like a person again."
The event "Independence" was named by Ferreira-Vierra, who is pledging on July 25 to ask people to promise not to pass anyone an ice pipe.
"I've never had a hate for anything like I do for crystal meth because I see what it does to everyone and what it did to me. We all agreed that we would not pass this shit down. It needs to stop, and it is an issue."
The pop-up event aims to encourage people to stop by and talk to those experiencing homelessness. Some people even bought some of the photos and Ferreira-Vierra's artwork of Chinatown.
But not everyone was happy about the pictures. A man taunted the coordinators.
"Forgive me, I feel like this is a shame," the man said.
"Where is the shame?" Lowenberg said. "I think these photos are beautiful."
The altercation lasted about five minutes but ended with the bystander and Ferreira-Vierra embracing.
As the sun set in Chinatown, Lowenberg and Ferreira-Vierra turned on a string of lights illuminating the portraits.
Two chairs are displayed in the middle. It is a pop-up live performance called "Chronic Chronicles." It's a talk story session hosted by Ferreira-Vierra about what happens on the streets of Chinatown.
The Downtown Honolulu area, including Nuʻuanu and Kalihi, has the second highest rate of homelessness on O'ahu, according to the annual Point-In-Time count.
Many people on the streets have been chronically homeless for decades.
But Ferreira-Vierra said Lowenberg's portraits gave homeless individuals the confidence to get outside their comfort zone.
"Everybody whose picture is up did something in the last month or last week that was better for themselves," Ferreira-Vierra said. "Whether it's to make an appointment or see their kids. Everybody is doing something different because of the pictures."
Lowenberg said she hopes the photos will be at more pop-up events around the island.
"Whether you're on the street, in an apartment, or a mansion, we are all part of the same community," Lowenberg said.
"So if we can see each other and try to understand each other, either in person or through photographs or interviews, I think that's just the power of this project."
