Here is the story behind this picture:



I was in downtown looking for a shot for this challenge and I came across these two individuals who were homeless. I normally eye my subjects before asking them to give me some time for photograph them and I saw that this man. He had a big gash over his eye and he was a bit bruised. The first thing that came to mind was "Poor Tom".



I politely asked him if I could take a couple of pictures and to my surprise he was very nice and full of life (many homeless turned me down). I asked him what was the story behind the gash and he politely said "I had a run-in to the wall last night". I guess it was his way of saying that he was beat up by someone. The whole time I photographed him he cracked jokes and was very upbeat. This was a lesson learned for me. No matter how hard you have it, being negative never helps.



This guy was homeless, beat up, cut up and bruised and yet he managed to keep a smile on his face. I know many who cant keep a smile just because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. This guy kept his smile and should be an example to many.