The Homeless Paradise is a photo series, created by Honolulu-based photographer Diana Kim, that was conceived as a means of sharing the means of the city's homeless community -- although it ended up morphing into something even more incredible.
Whilst capturing photos for the series, Kim recognized her own father -- then estranged from the family -- sitting in a makeshift shelter of cardboard boxes. He had left the family when we she was a child, and apparently developed advanced schizophrenia.
Kim visited him in the same spot for two years. When he ended up in hospital for a heart attack treatment, she visited him and ended up rebuilding their relationship. As the Homeless Paradise series shows, Kim ended up helping rehabilitate her father, who is going strong.
Reunited Father Photos
The Homeless Paradise Series Features the Photographer's Long-Lost Father
Trend Themes
1. Homeless Community Empathy - The Homeless Paradise series highlights the plight of homeless people and creates awareness about their struggles, presenting multiple opportunities for socially responsible businesses to work on making a difference to this community.
2. Rehabilitation Photography - The Homeless Paradise series, which documents the journey of a father and daughter reunited after years of estrangement and recovery from mental health issues, provides an opportunity for healthcare, therapy and wellness industries to explore the use of photography as a therapeutic tool for healing.
3. Personal Growth Storytelling - The Homeless Paradise series is a powerful story of personal growth and redemption, providing opportunities for authors, content creators and filmmakers to collaborate with those who have gone through similar experiences and share their stories with the world.
Industry Implications
1. Social Responsibility - Businesses can take a more active role to drive social responsibility efforts in helping the homeless community by partnering with non-profit organizations for fundraising or charitable events, and initiating grassroots campaigns for the collection of donations or other needed resources.
2. Mental Health & Therapy - The use of photography as a therapeutic tool for healing offers new opportunities for mental health professionals in the healthcare industry to develop customized therapies for people dealing with mental illnesses or addiction, and leverage the power of visual storytelling to help their patients improve their mental and emotional wellbeing.
3. Content Creation & Storytelling - The Homeless Paradise series is a powerful story of personal growth and redemption, providing opportunities for content creators, such as authors and filmmakers, to collaborate with individuals who have gone through similar experiences and share their stories with a global audience, driving awareness, empathy, and change.