Helen Tran Photography

Today this project finally went to the press. After weeks, months and even years of works I put into this project, and after many hours of went back and forth, up and down to so many different people, designers, and printers. I am so happy today. The brilliant person behind this and she is also a person wrote the essay for my book is my daughter Kimmy Phan, has put endless of hours into this, has put up with me so much. It is safe to say she is my right-hand person, the one t...hat I came to so many times for advice. It comes so easy to her, she didn’t even need to think about it, and she didn’t even need to look at me. After few mins, everything is done. Sometimes I wondered who is the mother, mother you’re so unconsidered go to bed is is 12:30am. I thank my daughter so much today and every day. I love her so much. #helentranphotography #vancouver #portrait #homeless #shelter #loss #identity ##identification #nonprofit #give #giveback #givingbacktothecommunity #photography #street #streetphotography #book #community See more

This is my father and the inspirations for all I do. Overtime I think about him, I am driven to work harder, go further and look and how I can be better person. He was a quiet person, who worked so hard to raise his family. He laid his life out for us and was the last person to eat at the end of each day. He gave me my heart and my soul and I can only attempt to share his honest, helping, caring character through what I do. I hope to be more like him each day I am here. #honour #friend #father #family #lifetimefriend #missed #dreamer #mindset #fearless #creative #passionate #maverick #myinspiration #notafollower

Identity is a book about the homeless people who live in Vancouver, people who have practically lost all of their physical identification, have lost touch with their family members. When they die, nobody knows who they were. The reason I got the opportunity for photographing them was back when, almost two years ago, after the loss of my mother, I started volunteering at the shelter. As I am the youngest in the family, and she was the last parent that I had, it felt very hard.... The loss of the woman who raised nine children, who cared for me as an infant, made me very sad. More than anything, the saddest thing for me that I felt was about the life of mankind-the circle of life and how nature is so unforgiving. We’re born, grow old and die, that exactly what life comes down to. The only difference and the only thing you own and the only thing you can take with you is giving real purpose to other people’s lives and that your life is a purpose. #helentranphotography #vancouver #potrait #homeless #shelter #identity #lost #identification #street #streetphotography #nonprofit #give #giveback