Caroline Gutman

Photographer

The Shelter of Each Other

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Location: Washington, DC & Philadelphia, PA

Nationality: American

Biography: Caroline Gutman is a freelance photographer and writer based between Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA, USA. Her work often looks at gender and economic inequality, climate change, and art and cultural innovation. Her work has been featured by... MORE

Focus: Photographer, Photojournalist, Journalist, Writer, Researcher, Reporter, Politics, Travel, Environment, History, Photo Assistant, Documentary, News, Video, Photography, Domestic, Foreign, Portraiture, Stock, Lifestyle, Conceptual, Culture, Foreign Desk, Arts & Culture, Journalist Investigative, Freelance, Civil Rights and Social Inequality, Humanitarian, Assignments, Commercial, Entrepreneur, Fellow, Consultant, International, Creative Professional, Editorial, Photo Shoots, Editing, Storyteller, Visual Artist, Climate, Digital Journalism, Photo Coordinator, Feature Stories, Environmental Stories, International Stories, National Park stories, Still Photographer, US Politics, Portrait Photography, Reportage

Anshar and Brownie

LeeLee and Neo

Alex and Isabella ("BellBell")

Anthony and Charm

Mike and Katie

Dwayne and Bether

Shanna "Couper&quo...ership and homelessness itself.

Shanna "Couper" Orona, 47, holds her cat Maison d'EÌpaule, 2, outside their RV in San Francisco on June 21st, 2020. The Shelter of Each Other portrait series shows the close bond between unhoused San Franciscans and their pets, with the goal of breaking the stigma of homeless pet ownership and homelessness itself.

Eddy and Buddy, Danielle and Smokey

Leo and Pretty

Ben and Pamplemousse ("Mousse")

Gail and Mama

PLAY

STOP

GRID

FULL

LOVE

Editors Only Story

The Shelter of Each Other

Copyright Caroline Gutman 2024

Updated Jan 2021

Location San Francisco, CA

Topics Abundance, Disability, Discrimination, Editorial, Emotion, Essays, Family, Fine Art, Happiness, Health/Healing, Homelessness, Hope, Isolation, Photography, Photojournalism, Portraiture, Relationships, Senior Citizens, Spotlight, Veterans

For San Francisco’s 8,000+ unhoused residents, survival is a full-time job. In my work documenting San Francisco’s homeless for the last three years, I’ve seen the constant struggle for safety, sustenance and sleep take a physical and mental toll, and social outcasting strip away one’s sense of self worth and the will to live.

For many unhoused, animal companions make a never-ending reality survivable, and provide a sense of purpose and normalcy. “Most homeless people love their animals more than themselves,” one unhoused pet owner told me. “A lot of times it’s what’s keeping us alive.”

The Shelter of Each Other looks at the relationships between unhoused San Franciscans and their pets, showing the strength of their bond. The images attempt to break the stigma that surrounds homeless pet owners, and homelessness itself. Losing one's home shouldn't define a person, their capacity for love, or their character.