A photographer documenting Hawaii's homeless stumbled upon someone she never expected to see among them — her dad.

Diana Kim's father had owned a photography studio when she was a little girl, and she grew up with a deep interest in the art form. Her parents separated when she was five and her father grew more distant until she lost touch with him completely.

Kim began documenting Honolulu's homeless in 2003 as a student and has been doing it ever since. One day in 2012, she spotted her father among the people she was photographing. She tried talking to him, but he wouldn't respond. Kim kept trying to engage him in conversation for a year-and-a-half, but was unable to get him to make eye contact.

She documented their encounters in photos, and, when it seemed darkest, her father turned a corner and Kim was finally able to enroll him in mental health care.

"Our paths crossed for whatever reason," Kim told NBC News, "And I truly believe it was because we were truly meant to help each other and grow together."

While the pictures from her father's homeless days are stark black and white images, today, the pictures are in bright color, and imbued with smiling faces.

(WATCH the NBC News video and READ more at NBC News) – Photo: NBC News video

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