ApertureF11Sniper
No longer a newbie, moving up!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2023
- Messages
- 232
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- 179
- Location
- Washington State
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Not sure how to put this.....I thought about doing a photo project of the drug epidemic...... Here in Washington it is very very bad.... There's a part of town where they seem concentrated.......You have people, generally younger in dirty clothes and they are a mess. More often then not pushing a shopping cart that is full of mostly garbage that they have latched onto for one reason or another.........Some spots you can see back into the woods some make shift tents and trash that looks like a dumpster exploded. On closer look you'd see trash, human waste and used needles. This is what they live in........ But to photograph it....... I find it so emotionally tolling just to be there.
I spent a summer in this location with the Mexicans as a day labor. Made good money too.. But often I was buying food or shoes for the homeless..... I do know that one that I helped out he made it out he got the help, he is now drug free and doing good. But before he was just a street druggie.....It is the saddest place on earth with the drugs and the prostitutes and occasional violence. But to photograph that..... One of my idols National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey did a piece on the Native reservation that, the images were sad but gripping but it was a story that had to be told and in some ways this story has to be told of these people who struggle with addiction and violence.
This would be a three year project for me. And they think right away your a cop and right away they are asking you for money, some times food. Theft is huge there at the near by Walmart and Home Depot.
I remember from when I was doing the day labor these things get etched in your mind. And few people want to help these people or even acknowledge them....I remember one day I saw this one girl who was a prostitute and a regular to the area and she looked really bad so I walked over to her and asked if I could get her anything. She asked if I could get her some water........ It just filled me with sadness...... So if I were to do this project I have to prepare for the toll that it will take but I want to make some kind of statement. But too how to stay safe......
When I was working out of there in the time between jobs I met a number of the regulars......One was Dominic and he had no shoes when I met him. So I went to Goodwill and got him shoes but 2 days later they were stolen from him while he slept..... I got to know him over the months buying him food and such.. Being there takes a toll on you. The end goal is to show the human side of all of this....It's easy just driving by to see these people some passed out, some half dressed some walking in circles and you drive by and go to your comfortable home........
I spent over 12 years working with 100 different models. Thats easy compared to this. This area has been like this for close to if not more then 10 years......These people we call them zombies, they have no face....So it's easy not to be a priority no face so they are no matter. My job would be to give them a face.....And the state thinks oh we'll give them a home that will solve this.....Noooooooooooo......Your only going to have drug houses..... What they should do IMO is have 150 mobile case workers that have a degree in psychology and be there every day. There are those who can be helped but I fear this will never really be addressed.
When I was there one day a social worker showed up and said she was looking for Rosie......Rosie is an adult but with the mentality of a 10 yr old.......At first I avoided talking to her but then I would start saying good morning. And some days she would be super high she'd take 10 steps then stare at the ground and mutter a few things that could not be understood.....One afternoon she was walking through the parking lot and I said Rosie where are you going...Drinking she said, I am going to go drinking. I said Rosie you want a strawberry shake? Wendy's was right there.....She thought for a second and said sure.....I said but you have to promise me Rosie that you won't go drinking....She thought about it and said okay I promise....So I went and bought her a strawberry shake.. Rosie was one that would do good for a little bit then she'd be around the wrong people.
What I want to do in short is to give them a face and show that face to people.....And hope that's a step in the right direction. But I can't separate myself. I can not turn off the emotion, that part of you that cares and that is what would make this hard.
If you want to see a great short video I highly recommend this one by Nat Geo photographer Aaron Huey and the Ted Talk that he did. Both are extremely moving but I kind of have a feeling no one will watch the video. It's sad, it's about the Black hills.......Link >>>>>>
**On The Local News** Morge's are running out of space in part because of the drug related deaths that are skyrocketing.
I spent a summer in this location with the Mexicans as a day labor. Made good money too.. But often I was buying food or shoes for the homeless..... I do know that one that I helped out he made it out he got the help, he is now drug free and doing good. But before he was just a street druggie.....It is the saddest place on earth with the drugs and the prostitutes and occasional violence. But to photograph that..... One of my idols National Geographic photographer Aaron Huey did a piece on the Native reservation that, the images were sad but gripping but it was a story that had to be told and in some ways this story has to be told of these people who struggle with addiction and violence.
This would be a three year project for me. And they think right away your a cop and right away they are asking you for money, some times food. Theft is huge there at the near by Walmart and Home Depot.
I remember from when I was doing the day labor these things get etched in your mind. And few people want to help these people or even acknowledge them....I remember one day I saw this one girl who was a prostitute and a regular to the area and she looked really bad so I walked over to her and asked if I could get her anything. She asked if I could get her some water........ It just filled me with sadness...... So if I were to do this project I have to prepare for the toll that it will take but I want to make some kind of statement. But too how to stay safe......
When I was working out of there in the time between jobs I met a number of the regulars......One was Dominic and he had no shoes when I met him. So I went to Goodwill and got him shoes but 2 days later they were stolen from him while he slept..... I got to know him over the months buying him food and such.. Being there takes a toll on you. The end goal is to show the human side of all of this....It's easy just driving by to see these people some passed out, some half dressed some walking in circles and you drive by and go to your comfortable home........
I spent over 12 years working with 100 different models. Thats easy compared to this. This area has been like this for close to if not more then 10 years......These people we call them zombies, they have no face....So it's easy not to be a priority no face so they are no matter. My job would be to give them a face.....And the state thinks oh we'll give them a home that will solve this.....Noooooooooooo......Your only going to have drug houses..... What they should do IMO is have 150 mobile case workers that have a degree in psychology and be there every day. There are those who can be helped but I fear this will never really be addressed.
When I was there one day a social worker showed up and said she was looking for Rosie......Rosie is an adult but with the mentality of a 10 yr old.......At first I avoided talking to her but then I would start saying good morning. And some days she would be super high she'd take 10 steps then stare at the ground and mutter a few things that could not be understood.....One afternoon she was walking through the parking lot and I said Rosie where are you going...Drinking she said, I am going to go drinking. I said Rosie you want a strawberry shake? Wendy's was right there.....She thought for a second and said sure.....I said but you have to promise me Rosie that you won't go drinking....She thought about it and said okay I promise....So I went and bought her a strawberry shake.. Rosie was one that would do good for a little bit then she'd be around the wrong people.
What I want to do in short is to give them a face and show that face to people.....And hope that's a step in the right direction. But I can't separate myself. I can not turn off the emotion, that part of you that cares and that is what would make this hard.
If you want to see a great short video I highly recommend this one by Nat Geo photographer Aaron Huey and the Ted Talk that he did. Both are extremely moving but I kind of have a feeling no one will watch the video. It's sad, it's about the Black hills.......Link >>>>>>
**On The Local News** Morge's are running out of space in part because of the drug related deaths that are skyrocketing.