Striking Black and White Portraits of Homeless People Will Change the Way You View Vagrants

A self-taught photographer took a picture of a homeless girl when he was photowalking in the streets of London. But little did he know, it quickly changed his life and the start of his new advocacy.

According to Time, in 2008, the accountant Lee Jeffries decided to wander the streets of London to take pictures before he joins a run marathon. He was, then, using his 5D camera with a long, 70-200 lens near Leicester Square to a homeless woman lying on her sleeping bag.

"She spotted me and started shouting, drawing the attention of passersby," he said. "I could have just walked away in an embarrassed state, or I could have gone over and apologized to her."

But, Lee bravely crossed the street to join the woman and had a little talk with her. And, promised himself to ask permission first before taking pictures.  

From there, he started to travel around the world to take pictures of the homeless people and hear their stories. Lee doesn't just simply want to take their snaps but, somehow, he wants to build a connection with them.

"I'm "living" with these people for days, sometimes weeks and only when a mutual respect has been developed does the camera ever get used," he told Metro News. "I'm very much an empath. I say to people, that in a strange way, I fall in love with everyone I make a connection with."

His work doesn't end up in a click of a camera; he is undergoing this process to develop these photographs to have a more dramatic effect. And this is the time he will feel the sadness, knowing the real stories behind the perfect pictures.

"It's emotionally challenging at the time but it's in post-production when I'm alone again, this is when I fall apart," he said. "My mind was awash with images. Reveling in art for the first time in my life. It was exciting, promised travel and adventure and who knows, maybe some success and notoriety."

In an article he submitted to Bored Panda, Lee said that many people today are asking him how he created the appealing images. "I don't blame them. I was exactly the same seven years ago. My mind was awash with images. Reveling in art for the first time in my life."

"Love "happened" to me. Back then, that love was the motivation for everything I did. When you see a Lee Jeffries image it's not a document of the life of a homeless person. It's much more than that. It's a metaphysical testimony of humanity, faith and spirituality. It's born from love and a connection to another human being. Her... and the homeless people I meet." he said. 

Help Lee's advocacy by spreading awareness and knowledge about the homeless people through his website -- YellowKorner. Check the video of his creations below: