We recently had the chance to connect with Camille Wheeler and have shared our conversation below.
Camille, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I am the most proud of, and grateful, for the relationships I continue to build with members of the unhoused community in downtown Austin, Texas. Some of these relationships are apparent through the work that I post on social media. But some of the relationships are much less visible in the sense that I regularly visit with people going through very difficult times, and I don’t always make public the details of these conversations. Over the years, I have quietly built friendships with individuals who have come to trust me.
I also am continuing to build relationships with the rest of the East Sixth Street community: the business owners, general managers, and bar staff — door guys, bartenders, etc. — who help make up the glue that holds together this historic district.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an independent photojournalist based in Austin. My background is in newspaper and magazine print journalism, and I am a veteran writer, reporter, and editor. I was never a photographer during my working journalism career. I loved working with photographers on stories and projects, and I can see now how those relationships helped pave the way for me becoming a photographer myself a little over a decade ago.
I started photographing the unhoused community of Sixth Street in February 2016. My project has expanded to incorporating all of historic East Sixth: the communities of people who live and work on the street and the magnificent architecture that sets the street apart. Of note, I have made it my mission over the past couple of years to stay current with the redevelopment taking place on Sixth and to create a visual snapshot in time of the changes that are unfolding.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Through my long-term work with people experiencing chronic homelessness, I have learned that a lack of trust shatters bonds. Generally speaking, many members of the unhoused population have experienced significant traumas. I know women on the streets who have been sexually assaulted and abused, starting in childhood. I have met people who grew up in foster care and never benefited from close family bonds.
Restoring someone’s trust — in society, in the immediate community — is difficult and complex. Some of the people I know suffer from severe PTSD. There are layers of mental and emotional issues to be addressed, and living outside comes with its own unique challenges that interfere with basic care and dignity.
I have seen people start the process of emotional recovery through intensive work with professionals who commit themselves to remaining a constant presence in someone’s life. For those who are unhoused, getting housing alone isn’t always enough to bring about stability. Loneliness and isolation can set in quickly when a person is moved from a homeless community into housing. What helps create comfort and trust are wrap-around services that connect people with readily available resources for medical and mental health care and for the basic necessities of food and clothing.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
I grew up on a Lubbock-area cotton farm on the South Plains of Texas. The land is as flat as a pancake, and in the country, you can see for miles and miles. As a kid, I loved reading both fiction and nonfiction. Books sparked my imagination, taking me to places that became very real for me. I also dearly loved being around and working with farm and ranch animals and competing in sports.
At night, bathed in darkness under the canopy of countless stars, I felt safe and connected to the universe. There weren’t many electric lights competing for attention during my youth, and I found extraordinary comfort in the night skies above.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that I need to be in motion, whether physically or creatively. That I am the happiest when I am engaged in outdoors activities and when I am talking to people with a camera with in my hands.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What light inside you have you been dimming?
It took me years to find my path as a writer, and I am now seeing my road ahead as a photographer and writer, a storyteller who combines the visual and the pen. It’s a strong sense of giving myself permission to simply be who I am and to not worry about what other people might think.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://camillejwheeler.com/
- Instagram: @camillewheels
Image Credits
Camille Wheeler
