Portraits of the homeless: Projecting positive images of life on the street Photographer who works in homeless shelter took touching portraits Rosie Holtom said she wants to show the true face of homelessness She asked subjects to be pictured 'the way they would like to be perceived' A photographer who volunteers at shelters for those sleeping rough has taken a series of portraits showing the true face of homelessness in London, and they're not what you might expect. In one, an attractive blonde smiles confidently at the camera, her eyes sparkling. Another shows a man in a sharp suit, grinning cheekily and exuding happiness. They are among a number of shots taken by Rosie Holtom, 31, who wanted to challenge the preconceptions of homelessness. Lily 21, (left) and Patrick, 57, (right) as pictured by Rosie Holtom for her alternative look at homeless people According to Ms Holtom, who works as an animator by day, she wanted to break the norm of picturing homeless people in such a way as to make them appear hard-up and desperate. Positive: Rosie Holtom (above) wanted to show the homeless people as they wanted to be percieved Instead, she has shot simple portraits of the guests which she says shows their characters and not their homelessness. She is hoping the pictures will challenge people's ideas of what homeless men and women in London look like. Ms Holtom says she has met many interesting people at Shelter from the Storm, a free homeless centre in north London where she has worked for four years. I felt there was this huge disconnect between the stereotypes I constantly saw portrayed in the media and the reality of the homeless people I was meeting. People assume all homeless people are drunks or addicts, cast out from society, the reality is very different. I have met people from all backgrounds and a rising number of young people who simply can't afford rent in London.' According to the photographer, some of the residents' told her stories of being kicked out by corrupt landlords, running away from a violent spouse or being asked to leave the family home illustrate this point. Instead of encouraging stereotypes Ms Holtom asked her subjects at Shelter from the Storm to dress and pose exactly how they would like to be seen. She said: 'We see a lot of teary shots of teenagers on the street in the run up to Christmas but I think people have become desensitised to hard hitting images like this. I feel it is time more positive imagery is used to mobilise people to help. Terencio, 26, (left) and Glen, 36 (right) agreed be in the project which aims to a positive side to homelessness Ruth, 36, (left) is one of the visitors to the Shelter from the Storm centre in North London, where Holturn works Caroline, 40, (left) and Emmanuel, 22, (right) were pictured how they wanted to be seen, smiling and confident Our guests at the shelter are now putting their lives back together and looking forwards, I wanted to portray them as the strong people they are. A wonderful thing to come from the project is that they have been so happy with their images. People become invisible so quickly when they are sleeping rough in London and a beautiful portrait becomes something very symbolic. Jim, 55, left is one of the oldest people to have taken part in the project which shows how people from all different walks of life have found themselves sleeping rough on London's streets