L J's gripping portraiture

There is this photographer that I stumbled upon some time ago, that really captivated me with his B&W work on human portraits. His images evoke such raw emotions and depth that it is difficult not to be drawn in. He shows you a world that has been ignored and is at times difficult to look at. Take a look at a small sample of his work that follows.

This is his biographical note that is offered on YellowKorner : “Lee Jeffries (LJ) lives in Manchester in the United Kingdom. Close to the professional football circle, this artist starts to photograph sporting events. A chance meeting with a young homeless girl in the streets of London changes his artistic approach forever. Lee Jeffries recalls that, initially, he had stolen a photo from this young homeless girl huddled in a sleeping bag. The photographer knew that the young girl had noticed him but his first reaction was to leave. He says that something made him stay and go and discuss with the homeless girl. His perception about the homeless completely changes. They become the subject of his art. The models in his photographs are homeless people that he has met in Europe and in the United States: «Situations arose, and I made an effort to learn to get to know each of the subjects before asking their permission to do their portrait.» From then onwards, his photographs portray his convictions and his compassion to the world.” See his “homeless” work on 500px here, or see the full collection of images (updated regularly) on Flickr here.