Lee Jeffries: My portraits are documents of an emotional journey
“The emotion is in the eyes,” explains Lee Jeffries, whose empathetic portraits of homeless people touch every observer. In an interview with Hahnemühle, the humanist photographer explains why his large-format portraits on the new Photo Rag® Metallic are so haunting.
Which is your favorite Hahnemühle paper and why?
"I use Photo Rag Ultra Smooth, Photo Rag Bright White and the new Photo Rag Metallic. Each paper gives me and my customers something different. For example, the Photo Rag® Bright White produces a lovely matt finish for my images but it’s in the blacks that the paper propels the photograph to the next level. They print with an incredible “lightness” that appears, visually, so lush and velvety. I love that sophistication. The Photo Rag® Metallic excels in the highlights, however. The shimmering of the whites in my black and white photographs is jaw- drop amazing!!!"
How did you ‘discover’ your passion for photography? I’m a self-taught photographer who started out taking pictures of stock in a bike shop. My epiphany came in April 2008 when, on the eve of running the London Marathon, I snatched a long-lens image of a homeless girl huddling in a doorway, and felt compelled to apologise to her when she called me out for it. The resulting conversation changed not only my approach to photography; it changed my life. During this time, I went to Rome to get a rosary blessed at the Vatican for a friend’s dying mother; she’s now buried with it. It was probably the first entirely selfless act of my life and something I was driven to do. That experience had a huge effect on the way I viewed people, images, photography. I took pieces of that experience, and it informs everything I’ve become, both artistically and as a man. Feeling love on a completely different level, ultimately, led to extended periods of loneliness. I began to go out onto the streets to seek refuge from it. When I meet homeless people, I can recognise that same loneliness in somebody’s eyes, and that becomes the starting point for the relationship. Throughout my career I have been on a mission to raise awareness of – and funds for – the homeless. My work features street people from the UK, Europe and the US whom I get to know by living rough with them, the relationship between them enabling me to capture a searing intimacy and authenticity in my portraits. My images become the final piece of that journey. The act of saying goodbye. Whats your favorite genre?
Which of your projects/motifs opened the door to the art market/professional market?
My images have always been the end point of a long emotional journey. I do what I do for my own personal reasons, an antidote to my own sense of loneliness I guess. That loneliness continues to motivate my artistry to this day. That said, it soon became evident that the power of what I was producing had the ability to impact other people in the most human of ways. People could feel the authenticity of the images as well as their metaphysical elements and spirituality. The images were creating their own market. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, people want to feel……and my images are beautifully tactile in that respect.
How would you describe your personal style in photography?
That first trip to Rome has had a huge influence on my style. I remember running through the corridors of Vatican in tears to get to the shop to buy the Rosary. Absorbing the beautiful Roman sculptures and incredibly enchanting Renaissance art has remained in my heart ever since. My images often portray a harsh reality but I hope my style reflects a beautiful sophistication, full of love.
How important is the printed presentation of your works of art for you?
©Lee Jeffries "Portraits" Print at Klein Imaging
