Interview with Photographer Lee Jeffries

Lee Jeffries is a photographer who captures more than just pictures. He lives in the United Kingdom, and photographs life, particularly of the homeless. An encounter with a homeless girl changed his outlook on street photography forever. Now, his portraits are open books, each one almost penetrating you with the tale of that someone gazing right back at you.

Lee Jeffries. Image via Lee Jeffries

Could I ask you to recount your “chance meeting” with the homeless girl, from whom you stole the photo from? Did you really just up and snatch a photo from her sleeping bag?

I was in London to run the marathon a few years ago and spent the Saturday before the race wandering around the streets seeing if I could find something interesting to photograph. I stumbled across a young homeless girl near Leicester Square and started to take her picture. I was using a canon 5d with 70-200mm lens so was some distance away from her. She noticed me. She kicked up a right fuss!!! I was incredibly embarrassed and was faced with a decision…walk away…or go an apologise. I chose the latter and her story and subsequent images I took of her changed my approach to street photography forever. (...) 

http://www.lomography.com/magazine/146830-interview-with-photographer-lee-jeffries