When life gives you erupting volcanoes, cook sausages. Was it Forest Gump who said that?

In 2004 an unconscious man was discovered behind a fast food restaurant in Richmond Hill, Georgia. He had no belongings, severe sunburn, and was nearly blind from cataracts. The man also had absolutely no idea who he was. After months of ongoing evaluation from doctors and psychologists it was determined he was suffering from dissociative amnesia. He adopted the pseudonym Benjaman Kyle and has embarked on a search for his true identity sparking massive amounts of media coverage and even a short film, Finding Benjaman, by John Wikstrom. He is the only citizen in the United States officially listed as missing despite his whereabouts being known. One strange aspect of this predicament is that Kyle now lives completely in limbo: for the past 8 years he has been denied the ability to obtain a new social security number which in turn prevents him from opening a bank account or having a credit card. The government argues that he already has one, but despite the efforts of fingerprint matching, DNA tests, and exposure on television, he simply cannot determine his true identity.

He spends time getting to know each of his subjects before shooting them, which I think is completely evident in his work, snidey, considering they're old & homeless.

Cheers pheony

psketti wrote:

QUESTION TO LEE - Do you think some photographers exploit the homeless?

Only the people who don’t get out the car but put a long lens through their window to shoot. They take a picture and drive off. That’s exploitation. People who do that don’t try to be part of it and don’t understand the subject. In England there’s so much homelessness that people just look past it because they’re so used to seeing it. People don’t actually see it anymore. If passers by see a homeless person at the side of the street and this person asks them for money people look down, look
away straight away or don’t even make eye contact. People are too busy with
their own lives.

“Situations arose, and I made an effort to learn to get to know each of the subjects before asking their permission to do their portrait"

Lee Jeffries is an very talented photographer based out of Manchester, UK, who, through a chance meeting with a young homeless girl in the streets of London, changed his direction

Jeffries creates some amazing and personal B&W portraiture photography that offers a snapshot glimpse into the soul of each individual, presenting the homeless as equals, whereas they’re typically a quietly ignored population

psketti wrote:
I remember him from my NFA(but never homeless) years!