homeless parolees
At the age of sixteen I discovered the camera in a big way. I immediately understood that photography could help me to foster relationships with people who I might not normally connect with. For many years these connection were mostly driven by my libido. Later in life I connected to people through my travels as a commerical photographer and although fulfilling, my images didn't cause me to consider anything about the people I photographed other than their socio-cultural surroundings. So began my quest to do something more meaningful to me personally.
As my Studio is located a block away from a parole office, I had many interesating characters parading past my window all day. Eventually a few of them would come in inquiring about work, I had no work for them but I fed them and gave them a few minutes of relaxation by treating them with respect and offering my friendship. Turns out that most of them were homeless too. The first time I photographed a homeless parolee it was actually for the parolee. I was trying to get him some jobs online. It was Christmas time. The photos were so good that I asked him to come back and that I would pay him for his time. His spirits were so lifted because I valued him as a contributing member of society, that I knew this was a very good thing.
I have tried to display and memorialize these figures as they are: people of extremely humble circumstances worthy of respect. People who have made bad decisions but who nonetheless are still people. People whose outer appearance may cause most of us to shrink away, but still possessing a hidden beauty. A beauty of the soul born of the fire of affliction and seen by those who value humility and simplicity.
