iPhone photographer exposes life in St. Louis' 'shadows'

A pair of gloves and a ring inspired Nic Tullis, 19, to use his passion for photography as a way give back to the community.

For more than a year, the self-taught photographer from Belleville, Ill., has commuted to St. Louis to document the plight of the city's homeless: displaced veterans, people who lost their jobs, others trying to recover from bad choices, all living on the streets.

Tullis can empathize: He and his mother had to live off her disability check for months.

"Going through that struggle made me appreciate what I have while I have it," Tullis says.

While driving around downtown St. Louis with his mother on a cold January day, Tullis spotted a homeless man standing near a 7-Eleven. Tullis was intimidated by him at first. But after circling the block, the man waved, signaling Tullis to approach him.

With his iPhone 6+ and DSLR camera in hand, Tullis talked with the former music producer about his life for about 30 minutes. As the cold began to irritate Tullis' hands, "DeMarlow" offered him a pair of gloves and a ring to remember him by.

"Here was a man who had almost nothing, and there I stood in comparison having so much, and he was worried about me," Tullis says.

After the encounter, Tullis and his mother had the idea to organize an art show featuring Tullis' work to benefit the St. Patrick Center in St. Louis – one of Missouri's largest homeless-helping organizations.

"Nic captures people in their element and humanizes the people we are trying to help," says Tara Rath, senior director of marketing and development at the St. Patrick Center. "He makes the subject matter real."

Tullis reached out to local charities and businesses for donations of goods or services. When David Heath, CEO and founder of BOMBAS, and his team discovered Tullis' project, they offered to fund half of Tullis' $1,500 goal and donated 200 pairs of socks for Tullis to give to the homeless while he photographs the St. Louis streets.

BOMBAS uses a "one-for-one" mission to aid to the homeless: For every pair purchased, one pair is donated.

"We need people like Nic to help with this awareness," Heath says. "It's not just about giving but understanding and having compassion. This could happen to any of us. Nic doesn't have a lot, but he's still out there. He impacts people's lives one by one."

Some of Tullis' pieces for sale feature the famous Arch of St. Louis and Busch Stadium — photos he took with his iPhone.

In March, the Media Rise Festival, a movement that promotes "meaningful media," invited Tullis to lead a Youth Media Rise workshop to encourage other young photographers to bring about positive change in their community. The Huffington Post and Complex Magazine also recognized Tullis for his work recently.

After the show's opening May 8 at the Soulard Art Market and Contemporary Gallery, Tullis will see where the event takes his work but he says he will still roam the streets searching for those in the shadows.

For more on Tullis visit his GoFundMe page, Instagram, Twitter and contributor profile.