Photos by Lee Jeffries
Miami, FL… home to so many people with a “rags to riches” story. Yet when Photographer Lee Jeffries traveled there, he quickly found the opposite. After spending so many years devoting much of his time to capture hauntingly beautiful portraits of homeless individuals, who are often overlooked across the globe, he found “riches to rags” narratives instead. Jeffries has made it his personal mission to attach epidemics of poverty and addiction to the human face, and the result is astounding.
The following set of photos stems from his last trip to Miami. It’s here where he met Margo Stevens, a former adult film star now living in Overtown, one of the city’s more dangerous neighborhoods. Jeffries took the time to get to know this woman for 2 weeks before capturing her photo. Her story “hit him hard”, and you can see that in the vibe of the portrait he shot of her. This first subject led him to shoot a few more portraits of homeless or drug addicts in the area, and with the beauty of black and white photography, he captured the essence of each individual effortlessly.
As Jeffries travels around the world, snapping shots of homeless individuals and gathering their heartfelt portraits, he uses the profits he receives for these, and puts it towards charities devoted to homelessness. If you’re interested in supporting this cause the photographer suggests donating to the Miami Rescue Mission.
Check out the following photos and find more of his work here, also be sure to follow him on Facebook.
[Via Huffington Post]
