It all began with a few words: “I had a dream about you. You’re going to make a movie about me.”

​This is what Tachowa, a man who lived inside an old water tank on the outskirts of LA said to Hal Samples, photographer and videographer from Dallas - and he was right.

When Banksy tagged the exterior of the tank, Tachowa’s home suddenly became a desirable art object. “It was already a piece of art, long before it was called a piece of art by people who saw what Banksy did” said Dylan Hollingsworth, a friend of Hal’s who was involved in Tachowa’s journey. “We hoped that others would see the beauty or magic in it ⁃ sustainable living, urban survival, beautiful painting…”

Samples of Society is an project showcasing documentary photography and the first feature length film by Hal Samples. The photographs were captured during his 17 year-long journey that lead him to complete his film. Hal made it his mission to give the homeless a voice, and to make the invisible visible through his work.