AN IMPORTANT MAGAZINE Situation Sthlm is Stockholm’s answer to “The Big Issue”, a street magazine that offers homeless people an opportunity to earn a legitimate income. While you might expect that Situation Sthlm would have faced the same rapid decline in sales as traditional print magazines, they actually had their strongest sales during 2014–2015, with an issue of 34 000 magazines per month. However, in 2018 the changing cityscape, the refugees and immigrants asking for help and support led to a monthly decline in sales. With so much suffering, the vendors of Situation Sthlm disappeared in the noise. The magazine was on the verge of bankruptcy. We just couldn’t let that happen.

CHALLENGE – Changing the attitude We needed to flip the perspective and remind Stockholmers that the vendors of Situation Sthlm are not asking for charity. They are committed to selling the magazine – and is a workforce to be reckoned with. No one chooses to live a life on the street – but selling the magazine proves you are determined to work hard to create a better life for yourself.

APPROACH – REAL PEOPLE, REAL STORIES We wanted to convey how the meeting between seller and buyer affected both parties, while focusing on the truly life-changing work Situation Sthlm does. We wanted to tell the truth about life on the streets, the stories behind the people, and the strong sense of self-worth and purpose that comes from having a real job and making your own money. While there are many worthy charities, Situation Sthlm offers a true meeting, and with that, a shared sense of humanity – so that was the unique position we wanted to take.

To do so, we needed to find the right moments, stories, and images – and capture them in the best way possible.