“One Blink Away: The Portraits That Dare You to Care”
By Goldy Locks
Some clients become friends. And some friends become legends.
Joni Werthan is both.
Since her first session in my 40 Over 40 Women’s Portrait Series, Joni has returned to my lens time and again, this most recent shoot marking her eighth with me. But this one was different. This one wasn’t just about beauty. It was about truth. About contrast. About compassion.
Joni came to me with an idea rooted in heartbreak and humanity. A dual-image photo series: one lavish and luxurious, the other raw and rugged. One in a palace, one on the pavement. A visual gut punch to remind us how quickly life can shift, and how dangerous it is to forget that.
See, Joni doesn’t just talk about homelessness. She lives in it. Not as someone on the streets, but as someone who walks among them, sees them, knows them. She considers the unhoused her friends. And unlike most people, they recognize her heart before her handbag. They see her, because she sees them.
Her work with homeless organizations is not performative. It’s personal. And it’s painful.
“The hardest thing,” she told me, “is that people don’t even see them as human anymore.” That’s what this project is about. Reminding the world that every person pushing a cart, talking to themselves, or curled up on a sidewalk was somebody’s child. And could just as easily have been you.
Mental illness doesn’t always look like the movies. Sometimes it looks like a gradual unraveling. Sometimes it’s a moment, a trauma, a tragedy, a betrayal, that snaps the thread of sanity. We love to distance ourselves from that possibility. But the truth? We’re all just one blink away.
Joni wanted to capture that contrast. The illusion of safety and the reality of fragility. We shot her in elegance and we shot her in emptiness, side by side, in one frame, one life, two outcomes. It was haunting. It was humbling.
But I’ll be honest, this was a hard shoot. When we were photographing the glamorous portion, draped in luxury, flawless lighting, that magazine-ready elegance, I felt… guilty. Like I wasn’t doing enough. Like posing in beauty while knowing how many are crumbling in silence just a few streets away felt indulgent. I had to sit with that discomfort. And that’s exactly the point. This shoot was supposed to make us uncomfortable.
She asked me to join her in the photo. I was already shooting, but she said the image wouldn’t be complete without both of us. And while it wasn’t easy to step in front of the lens this time, I’m grateful I did. Because this isn’t just her story. It’s our story. And it’s your story too.
Homelessness is an epidemic, but it’s not unsolvable. We need more than band-aid charity. We need systems. We need housing, healthcare, and most of all—mental health care. But while we wait for the world to change, we can start by changing how we see.
So What Can You Do, Right Now?
You don’t need to have millions to make a difference. Here are real, practical ways to help fight homelessness in your community:
See the Person, Not the Problem
Make eye contact. Smile. Speak. Kindness costs nothing.
Ask their name. Treat them with dignity.
Build a “Blessing Bag”
Fill a gallon ziplock with socks, water, granola bars, feminine products, wipes, toothpaste, and a hand-written note. Keep them in your car.
Donate Intentionally
Coats, shoes, backpacks, and seasonal gear are always needed.
Don’t forget to donate bras, underwear (new), and hygiene supplies.
Support Long-Term Solutions
Volunteer for shelters, transitional housing programs, or job training centers.
Advocate for affordable housing and mental health funding in your local government.
Educate Yourself
Learn about trauma, addiction, schizophrenia, and how systemic failures lead to homelessness.
Share informed stories—not stereotypes.
Organizations That Are Making a Difference
Here are a few incredible charities, national and local, doing the real, hard work:
• National Alliance to End Homelessness
www.endhomelessness.org
Policy-driven. Research-based. Advocates for lasting solutions.
• The National Homelessness Law Center
www.nlchp.org
Fights to protect the rights and dignity of unhoused individuals.
• Invisible People
www.invisiblepeople.tv
Raw, real stories of homelessness through digital storytelling.
• Room in the Inn (Nashville)
www.roomintheinn.org
Provides shelter, meals, and long-term support through faith-based community.
• Open Table Nashville
www.opentablenashville.org
Grassroots organization fighting homelessness with fierce compassion.
Let this be your sign. Be the person who sees. Be the person who acts. Be the person who cares.
That quiet soul pushing a cart might be closer to your story than you think.
Thank you, Joni, for your courage, your vision, and for including me in something that matters.
In a world that scrolls past suffering, compassion is still the most radical thing we can carry.
Thank you Stephanie for all your help and assistance making the shoot day kind, gentle and a day to think.
Be First to Comment