|
| | beavis at 14 (steve liss / time magazine / november 21, 1994):
(i love this shot)
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|
| | great!!
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| | Damn that's brutal reality. Like a punch in the face that breaks all the bones. Can't find any words for this...sorry
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| | Oh damn...
Excellent photography.Brave and strong.
Congratulations...
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| | modo said it, i agree.
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| | damn! i agree with modo
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| | Wonderful shot. This is the kind of thing that should be on flickrs front page, but somehow I don't think it will be.
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| | Wow! striking!
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| | I want to tear my eyes away from this image of Beavis (how different from the one taken by Liss - the unmarked arms cradling the kitten) but I can't. It's as if I have to bear testament to his condition.
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| | This is a reality check for me.. I know someone, very close to me, that is very close to ending up like Beavis... It breaks my heart... Amazing photo, Stoneth. Thanks for sharing
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| | WOW
Powerful work and Scary stuff
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| | holly sh**, this is so heartbreaking to see people destroying themselfs.
but thanks for sharing that. puuhh :o(
--
Seen in my contacts' photos. (?)
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| | this make me cry
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| | Love your work.... it is soooo real... and sooooooooooooooo sad!!!
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| | Excellent photodocument.
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| | Such a contrast between the two images...
When he is 14, he cradles a tiny kitten.
Today, he is only preoccupied with seeking his fix through his raw, bloodied arm
As Wordsworth said -
"And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man..."
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|
| | Sad. Brutal. Necessary photo.
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masner says:
| | (8/4/2006 7:45:48 AM) | |
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| | Wow. Thanks for sharing this incredible story and pictures.
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|
| | has he been homeless since he was 14? I have sympathy, but it's hard to understand how people can't help themselves out of a bad situation, or how the society can't help them. Wish i could have some understanding, but i can't.
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| | I'm speechless too :|
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| | Hard. You play it to the bone.
1-2-3
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| | I've never seen something like that.
This Powerful photo of Beavis makes me remember Layne Stayle
Thank you for sharing.
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| | So sad that this can be allowed to happen. In the earlier photo, there is some hope at least... Kudos for telling it how it is, Tomas.
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phogel says:
| | (8/4/2006 8:01:26 AM) | |
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| | great story and picture. whoa.
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etylee says:
| | (8/4/2006 8:08:26 AM) | |
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| | Intense and terrifying picture!
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Thao. says:
| | (8/4/2006 8:17:55 AM) | |
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| | You're wonderful , Stoneth . :) . thankyou very much .
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| | Hard and beutiful. Great vision of a part of the reality that people do not like to see. Compliments
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| | Amazing work - this is a real powerful image - I admire the whole homeless series.
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| | my gosh.....this is for me so difficulto to understand.......tell me Stoneth, why aren't these people helping others instead of "waisting time" hurting themselves?
Maybe because they can not help themselves first place?
Thank you for sharing, it opens up a new world for me.....
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| | its crazy how good this shot is, when the thing you shoot is so horrible
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| | great shot, great story.
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| | Not nice but a story has to be told... well done telling the story...
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KirkT says:
| | (8/4/2006 8:50:07 AM) | |
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| | Very strong image. Wow. Very Larry Clark in it's shocking honesty.
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| | why is he doing that??????????????????
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| | Extremely powerful image and great to have some backstory with it.
(love the Time picture as well)
1-2-3
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| | Drawing blood back into the syringe immediately allows a second hit. This is heartbreaking.
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|
| | E-gads. Amazing. Thanks for sharing the image. Given all the pain we collectively suffer overseas, this really brings it home...
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| | GREAT WORK MAN!! :o
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| | heavy stuff, amazing capture!!
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(sand) says:
| | (8/4/2006 9:16:57 AM) | |
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| | it's like watching a car accident...
this picture makes you ask many question about photography, and life...
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|
| | Ewwwwwwwww!
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| | stoneth goes color - with good reason. great photo, very disturbing. perfect just before lunch (it's five minutes to noon here...) ;-(
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|
| | Aw, man....drugs suck. What a waste of a "literate and articulate ...really great artist". This photograph is going to be one of your most important so far because of the emotion it immediately stirs up in people....so it is a good photograph in that respect. But, man...I personally would rather look at the beauty of life rather than the despair.
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|
| | a strong image
but I have to say that after the shock of seeing his wounds my eyes have been attracted by his face. now I can see only his face, the face of a "strange angel".
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Mynda says:
| | (8/4/2006 10:14:55 AM) | |
|
| | searching for words ... they are few and far between when reading your text -
it is impossible to put yourself in their shoes - when i meeet the homeless here in copenhagen i try, but fail - just the thought of spending most of your days (or at least they probably to that) figuring out where to spend the night
i do visit your stream - your photographs are excellent and your portraits healthy for us that are very fortunate - but tend to forget jost how lucky we are
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| | badly ...ugly
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| | Brutal.
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| | Sad reality. It's a shame what harm a drug can do to a human being. I pray he will be can someday overcome this addiciton.
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btezra says:
| | (8/4/2006 10:46:36 AM) | |
|
| | ~this image, more than any other you have snapped, leaves an indelible mark on my eye and memory...powerful shot. I look forward to shooting in the Loin when back in SF in mid-October, hopefully this time we won't miss each other, I feel youhave a lot to teach me about the area and the people...~
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| | Though I had heard about this seeing "vein seeking" before, seeing it in front of me is like a punch in the face, self distruction closed into an image. An example of how reality can be more shoking and cruel than fiction.
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leafy says:
| | (8/4/2006 10:59:20 AM) | |
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| | ... not something i would want children to see ...
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| | this man is 26
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Siebbi says:
| | (8/4/2006 11:11:08 AM) | |
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| | Yes, he's 26. And I don't think he will reach the age he already looks like ;-(
This is a fav for the story behind the picture.
stoneth, you are exceptionally gifted!
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Ali K. says:
| | (8/4/2006 11:22:29 AM) | |
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| | Amazing story stoneth!
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| | holy shite
life's a bitch!!!!
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| | Harsh story and photo. I disagree leafy. I believe if you shelter people from images like this (especially the next generation) then nothing gets done to change it. Images like this take all the glamour out of drug use. That's what I want my kids to see.
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Ói says:
| | (8/4/2006 11:42:46 AM) | |
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| | Wow, this picture and the story with it brings tears to my eyes. I am totally numb. Great job. By the way I love your photos.
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| | this is so sick!
kewlll shot!
faved!
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| | I agree with Oi. I am speechless; the photo and the story together-- it's just incredible. It's really sad that his life has brought him these troubles. Thanks for your inspiring, beautiful work.
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| | Stunned, amazed........saddened.
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deVos says:
| | (8/4/2006 12:01:56 PM) | |
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| | My first impression was that this would probably be someone putting on fake injuries for a emergency services excercise.... My, was I wrong (and naive).
What a gripping photograph and what a chilling story. Reality kicks in like a mule. Thank you for sharing it.
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leafy says:
| | (8/4/2006 12:03:45 PM) | |
|
| | @ skrewnthepooch you're out of you're mind! ... children need a safe place to be nurtured and to grow ... it's not a matter of "sheltering" it's what they need to live ... it's abusive to show children pics like this because it gives them a limited perspective of the world ... this pic is just one ugly part of it, true as it may be, but not all of it ... you can disagree, but i think your view is just plain stupid ... heaven help your kids ...
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| | This has got to be one your best....
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| | stoneth, powerful shit as always.
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| | I d say this is as good as I have seen on Flickr. In fact not much else even come close. Powerful photograph. Thank you.
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| | Wow. Reminds me of too many people I saw take a big fall.
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| | strong picture!!!
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| | This is an amazing story and it is such a disturbing and powerful image. Heartbreaking.
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| | Somedays I have to brace myself before reading your descriptions, so raw and right in your face. I have many times cryed at the brutal reality you portray. I believe you do important work and appreciate you sharing.
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| | LEAFY:
I 100% disagree. My best friend died of a heroin overdose and I know many others who are hooked and others have died from it and way way too young. Perhaps if they knew more of the consequences they may have not gotten into it in the first place. THe people I know started out taking oxycontin and then shootedup with needles. I think people should see photos like this, just as smokers should see pictures of what lung cancer and mouth cancer looks like.
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|
| | powerful and memorable photo. i know many kids whose lives might have taken a different turn if they had been exposed to real-life situations and powerful photos like yours. this photo belies the "glamour" of drug use that pervades our culture. knowledge=power
you are a good teacher, tom
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|
| | for obvious reasons, this is one of the most difficult-to-view photos you've posted, but it bears powerful testimony to the human condition, which is not always pretty.
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| | oh man, this is just a great piece of photo documentry on society and people who live on the fringe. good work, shots like this should create some debate within ourselves and society in general.
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| | powerful and sad!
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| | Wow. Just wow.
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| | @ leafy - I can't imagine a more empowering photograph for young people to see in all honesty.
It's a towering work, which words can't adequately do justice I feel.
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|
| | another powerful photo....well done....
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| | Now that's true life.
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| | wow...
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Hudlu says:
| | (8/4/2006 1:51:36 PM) | |
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| | Fantastic photodocument!!!!!
Great work, my friend.
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| | This is the kind of image that sets photography apart from other art forms. I don't think I'd have the courage to photograph Beavis out of fear. This is a gritty, powerful photo that raises the bar for the rest of us. I will think of this image the next time I focus on that beautiful flower or the smile of my children and remember the power that the camera can have. Thanks for the perspective.
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| | It is painful to see, but a perfect reminder of the years that have passed since he was a homeless young kid...
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| | Hard to look at but necessary to see.
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| | @leafy- I believe you have it backwards, not showing children a photo like this narrows their perspective of the world. Nurturing your children includes showing them the bad things in life, not just the good. By the way, it doesn't look like heaven helped Beavis very much.
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comi_ says:
| | (8/4/2006 2:45:56 PM) | |
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| | i dont know what to say
just perfect
you have great portraits here
take care
bye**
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| | great!!!
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| | Thank you for investing your pics with the compassion that you do.
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| | Heart wrenching. Thanks for showing a world many of us never see.
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| | A rough shot - rough to look at I mean - but your story is so positive somehow. I really enjoy your perspective.
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|
| | Thanks for sharing this story and image. So, so powerful.
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| | Breathtaking.
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| | This is a really powerful image. The change from age 14 to adulthood is profound. Thank you.
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| | Affecting to the core. I'll add no more lest I diminish the purity of emotion this image conjures.
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| | talk with him and his friends and try to help .. if he wants to
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| | I can't believe this guy's my age...
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| | you do amazing work.
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| | How twelve years has worn him. Very disturbing image. Very powerful.
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| | when you have an expo or showing in the bay area, let us know. you have a body of work that is so ready for one.
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| | both image are powerful, intense, courageous!
keep going!
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| | @leafy-sorry, didn't realize you were so thin skinned. unblock me and we can talk about it : )
stoneth, you do the world a service with your work
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|
| | sharp intake of breath and disbelief - not at the fact that it happens, of course, but at the fact that you recorded and posted it. you are a brave man, tomas, and i agree with many of the others who have commented.. you do the next generation a service by portraying the homeless in the stark and honest way that you do.. there isn't much anyone can do for beavis, i guess, but if just one kid says "no" as a result of this pic, then you have done more than most of us. bravo again!
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leafy says:
| | (8/4/2006 6:40:47 PM) | |
|
| | Hello? - i never said this photo shouldn't be seen by responsible adults ... of course adults need to see this and take action about it ... children do not need to see this at all ... My God, children don't have the experience in life to put this pic into proper perspective and they have not built the skills to make critical judgments about this subject ... i work with abused children, and adults who have been abused as children, on a daily basis ... showing kids pics like this is tantamount to showing kids pics of pornography as a way to teach them about sex ... or making kids drink whiskey to teach them how do drink responsibly ... let's get a grip here ... there are some pics kids shouldn't have to see ...
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| | powerful look at true life in hell, ...happens every day... time we noticed. Good work bringing this issue to be seen, especially found the comments to be an amazing story... richest country on earth= we got right here; with many kids at risk... it's humbling, heart breaking and unacceptable.
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fdo h says:
| | (8/4/2006 7:09:09 PM) | |
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| | such a touching image and story!...your work is amazing!
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|
| | spoken like a true therapist, leafy. apparently you can't stand to have anyone disagree with you, if we don't think like you we are wrong, right? I expect more from somone in your profession.
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mekron says:
| | (8/4/2006 7:21:26 PM) | |
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| | Tom, you are doing a very important social art work !
Part of us prefer to ignore or cover up the brutal and very sad reality behind the corner.
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| | oh my god. (instant fav.)
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|
| | @leafy: you've made an unqualified generalization about children's ability to constructively understand and assimilate the content in this photograph. for what it's worth, i have a degree in psychology and another in education, and i worked as a children's protective service case worker and as a public school teacher, and i emphatically disagree with your generalization.
also, your pornography and alcohol-consumption analogies are weak.
no one said that any and all children should view this photo. it depends on the maturity of the child and his or her parents' ability to sensitively communicate the meaning behind the image.
a responsible parent would attempt to monitor all content that his or her child is exposed to. and when they feel that the child is mature enough, parents may decide to view controversial, potentially disturbing content with their child and have a constructive discussion that teaches the child a valuable lesson about the human condition.
although there are some parents who themselves are immature and lack good judgment to determine when it's appropriate for their children to view photos like this, i'll give most parents the benefit of the doubt. and i certainly wouldn't allow your "wisdom" to dictate when and if i can share and discuss important photos like this one with my children or grandchildren.
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|
| | Such a reality. Great shot, one of my favorites!!!
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|
| | @ed's point of view- Very well said. I 100% agree.
stoneth, I think your photos are doing what you intended them to do, stir emotions and get people talking, at least I hope that's what you intended
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|
| | Well, there's nothing I can say that hasn't been said. Wow. What an image. I keep coming back to it.
The difference between the two photos is shocking. I can't believe he is younger than me.
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| | @ed's point of view- sorry about the therapist comment I made earlier, I don't put all therapists in the same catagory, said in the heat of the moment
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|
| | what i find shocking (in a positive way) is the similarity between the two pictures. you can still see the 14 year old in beavis today, which gives me hope in a strange way. call it perseverance, or hope, i'm not sure what, but it dignifies him.
just out of interest, you mentioned that beavis used to pose for tourists for $15. would you ever pay one of your subjects, or would that ruin the exchange?
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leafy says:
| | (8/4/2006 10:43:08 PM) | |
|
| | @ ed's pointless view - you gotta be kiddin' me man ... a "child" is not an "adolescent" ... i specifically wrote "child." (roughly ages 1-12)... talk to any practicing professional who deals with abuse and i'm sure you'll get an unqualified response that no "child" by definition can have the life experience to put a pic like this into proper perspective ... i've dealt with children who were beaten and raped and left for dead ... perhaps an adolescent with a developing set of critical skills, but not a child could comprehend this ... i pity your students and those who would follow your fallacious and callous reasoning ... our children deserve better ... how anyone can find hope in this pic is beyond me ... it is a picture of madness and suicidal despair ... which makes it perfectly fine for adult viewing ... and i certainly have a right to express my opinion here as anyone else ... thanks
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|
| | I first saw this shot about 12 hours ago. 8 hours later I was walking into starbucks and my wife said something that included the phrase "far from home" and I shivered. My mind instantly flew back to this powerful image and has stayed there for the rest of the day. Now, as I play with my toddler, I still can't shake it.
GREAT WORK
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|
| | thanks for sharing - the photo & the story...
just excellent
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|
| | Powerful picture, I don't understand how we can think of helping people in the developing nations when there are still so many people dying in the streets of this so powerful America...
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N u n o says:
| | (8/4/2006 11:20:29 PM) | |
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| | Welcome to the real worl!!!
Thanks for posting this!!!
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Magnaza says:
| | (8/4/2006 11:23:10 PM) | |
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| | I have no words.
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| | Astonishing story. Excellent potrayal but it's gross.
--
Seen on your photo stream. (?)
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|
| | This is so intense! Amazing shot.
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|
| | oh my god...that's a really strong shot. very intense.
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Taigah says:
| | (8/5/2006 3:46:56 AM) | |
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| | In combination, these photos and stories made for such a powerful story.
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|
| | @leafy: yes, you have a right to express your opinion, which you did. then, when someone disagreed with you, you proceeded to judge, belittle, and block him, ("... out of your mind!" ... "your view is just plain stupid ... heaven help your kids ...") which you've done with me, too ("ed's pointless view... i pity your students and those who would follow your fallacious and callous reasoning ...").
your condescending judgment of others doesn't define them--it defines you as a person who needs to judge and belittle those who don't share your opinion.
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|
| | Mind blowing!! So far from my world yet so close.
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|
| | oh my god ! you should get some price for that shot! and that boy should get some help! or a little love ....
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leafy says:
| | (8/5/2006 12:16:11 PM) | |
|
| | @ ed - i didn't belittle you ... i don't know you ... i just think "your opinion" on the issue of whether or not this pic is appropriate for children's viewing really really sucks ... have a nice day! ...
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|
| | This is so hard to even look at. What a powerful picture. Your narration is wonderful.
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|
| | it's so beautifull and so frightening... wondefull !!!!
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|
| | go see a doctor..............now!
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|
| | Uniquely powerful photography, as usual.
Thanks for sharing your gift with us!
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|
| | Excellent...and of course painful...how many photos did you take of him here, he seems fairly oblivious to the camera here. How much of that is the drug, and how much the familiarity with you? In other words, how many photos have you taken of him for him to be this comfortable with you?
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|
| | Powerful work, Stoneth
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|
| | Stoneth, may I invite you to post this photo and your story to my group www.flickr.com/groups/medicalstreetwork/ ? The situation you describe is so damn common for me, sharing history of many youngsters I met first at Cologne main station, offering my medical aid to street kids, and after half a year, I meet them at the social service centre for drug addicts...
Feel free to visit my blog,too: visualthinking.behnsen.com ( www.behnsen.com ) to read more about my work...
Thanks for your impressive work
Colso
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|
| | This photo is interesting and so important, I have tremendous respect for you. Your talent and your compassion in giving the homeless a voice, so to speak, is highly admirable. I wish I could help them all.
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.dale. says:
| | (8/6/2006 3:02:51 AM) | |
|
| | wow, so powerful.
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|
| | your work is always so powerful and moving - thanks for sharing
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|
| | the thing i feel from this is that this person has completely accepted his life as is, loves it and hates it and is so unafraid to share or not to share...and it is still beautiful because it is part of the world in which we live
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|
| | such a powerful image... such a rare capture!
Also interesting to see the previous image of beavis at 14.
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|
| | This is what FLICKR is for......good work!
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|
| | there are no real words as usual. after seeing so many friends choose similare routs in my life, and myself overcomming that kinda shit it brings tears to my eyes.
i tried to avoid this but i kept coming back and say something. technically the shot is astounding and i really dont think it would work better in b&w. i think the color is important here. youve captured a damaged and hurt soul, that may not even really know anybetter of a life. from the kid in the early ninetees that is really not all that much older than myself who in the image from 2006 looks lost resigned, sadened, pained, hopless. love is in the needle now it is no longer something to try an attain.
"i tie myself off
stick it in my veign
imgoin back where its safe
im going back to the womb
gonna find my mothers comfort in a needle and spoon"
Mike Ness
dope fiend blues off of cheating at solitaire
| |
Baala says:
| | (8/7/2006 1:58:32 PM) | |
|
| | awesome... just a look to the dark side of the moon
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|
| | one of the most powerful shots in all of flickr. it was impossible to look closely, but i couldnt look away. thank you for having the courage.
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|
| | you tell amazing stories, thank you for showing us all this side of humanity
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|
| | I see the same look in both.. you both captured a similar side of him.. yet both are so different.
| |
|
| | Wow. That's all I can say.
| |
|
| | JESUS Dude!
| |
|
| | You have such compassion for your subjects. This is a hard picture to view, but it teaches a great deal.
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|
| | Gruesome, revolting. Needs to be given the widest possible distribution! Who wants to end up there?
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|
| | another amazing photograph. i truly admire your ability to humanize the subjects of your art.
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|
| | again a really really great shot. it is absolutely amazing and powerful. And i like the picture of him as a 14 yr old as well.
| |
|
| | Came back to it .... again ....
We (people) are so weak/adaptive/fragile/indestructable
We can make anything OK in our minds ...
| |
|
| | This poor man needs to be in an institution, but, oh yes He is homeless and w/o health insurance, so he doesn't matter. God help us and this man.
| |
|
| | Sobran las palabras...
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|
| | First, it took me a couple of days to see this picture. I saw it as the tumbnail, but couldnt find the courage to open it. The thumbnail itself is very powerful and disturbing!
But well today, i summed up the courage to see this pic.
The thing is most of us can see people injured or getting operated.
Coz you know they didnt do it to themselves on purpose.
But here, its hurting yourself !!!
Its amazing how you can take such pics. Requires a lot of courage and also an understanding between the subject and you!
Am sure they see love and acceptance in your eyes and smile.
Which makes them let you take their pics.
Bravo!
| |
|
| | smile4, you may call me heartless, but this man chose his carreer at 14. Not so much to do with institutions. Ask him if he would like to be institutionalized.
| |
|
| | helmut,
I would not say that you are heartless. I 'know' he wouldn't want to be institutionalized.He chose his career at 14 but what other choices was he presented with?He is invisible to most people that pass him by.Because not many at all give a damn.
He needs some sort of help.Maybe only our maker can help. But maybe our gov could offer up some help.Gosh who knows I certainly don't. Be blessed.
| |
|
| | smile4camera,
at 14 he looks fragile, helpless, lost, too vulnerable. He "recovered" to become street-tough. We (except for Stoneth!) hurry past him because we do not know how to handle this result of a combination of circumstances. So he goes toward his inevitable demise. Maybe drugs have given him what he wanted in life. 12 years so far, and still counting.
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|
| | reality can be so cruel...admire your work
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|
| | without the story the photo is almost unrealistic....with the testimony it is heartbreaking and stomach churning......I hate photo but cannot resist........ don't know where else to go with that. So graphic and real.....I wish it was made up...oh how I wish it wasn't true. I shake just thinking about it. If a photo can do that to me, you have a winner no matter how graphic
| |
|
| | The word phenomonal comes to mind.
| |
|
| | Unbelievable! Good work!
| |
|
| | should we require people to take parenting tests before they have children?
should the government be in charge of instituting these tests?
I personally don't believe government, run by corrupt, almost psychotic individuals should be governing family values or family structures, but I'm certain that if Beavis had a family growing up other than the street family, he might be clean today.
I ask these questions because I wonder how a 14 year old ends up on a street without family. I have been asking that question ever since I read Raised by Wolves by Jim Goldberg.
www.class.uidaho.edu/narrative/comics/raised_by_wolves.htm
The phenomenal part of what stoneth does is his ability to win their trust and respect. Stoneth must reciprocate in order to capture such private moments where people reveal themselves so honestly.
*tips hat*
| |
. dying says:
| | (8/13/2006 6:49:00 AM) | |
|
| | I think this awesome documentary photo deserves to be in the Explore page.
| |
|
| | Wow! What a graphic & sad photo.
| |
MrCG says:
| | (8/15/2006 11:58:38 AM) | |
|
| | brutal reality indeed.
| |
|
| | i don't have kids but if i did i would surely show them this to help them understand how beautiful life is, and to show them that they should never take it for granted. For some, it is a living hell and a few wrong decisions can get you there quicker than 26 years. This guy IS A KID for christ sakes!!!!
Most of us bitch and moan about the most stupid things. Most of us are sooooo lucky and don't even know it. Stoneth, don't ever stop. Please tell me when your book is coming out. I want a copy so include me on your mailing list.
| |
|
| | wow--that is really intense--well captured
| |
|
| | brilliant shot. i blogged this pic to blogs.newamericamedia.org/photo-of-the-day/. new america media is a non-profit alternative news organization operating out of san francisco. please check out your entry and let me know if you would like to change or add anything.
also, check out writings from our homeless youth project/drop-in space at www.roaddawgz.org/
| |
|
| | One of the most moving photos I've seen here. The juxtoposition with the 1994 shot (as telling as it was then) is all the more poigniant as a path illustrated. Horrifying and humbling.
| |
|
| | I dont understand how you manage to share all this people fate. Marvellous pictures.
| |
|
| | .....! speechless, in both good and bad ways, either way im glad u posted this, it makes me appreciate what I have and hold dear...LIFE, I feel for this guy, but at the same time I cant help but think he is throwing his life away.... this shot makes me both shudder and appreciate what I have....Powerful man, really powerfull.
| |
michale says:
| | (8/18/2006 6:09:24 PM) | |
|
| | extraordinary photo, especially with the backstory and the link to the steve liss photo. heartbreaking has been stated many times already above, but it's the word that i come up with also.
good to meet you the other night, see you in a couple weeks at the opening party.
| |
Psycrow says:
| | (8/18/2006 9:01:11 PM) | |
|
| | what an amazing capture. So Sad, so Powerful.
| |
|
| | unbelievable
| |
.wjhe. says:
| | (8/19/2006 5:25:56 AM) | |
|
| | Just have to say your work and photos are some of the most powerful I have seen. Absolutely mind-numbing, in documentary work as yours that is something that should always hit home with the viewer. Brilliant work!
| |
|
| | =O!
I´m so agree with modo... i'm in shock....
It is so impressive...
| |
crazy_1 says:
| | (8/20/2006 2:19:18 PM) | |
|
| | You've shown us what so many people don't stop to see with their own eyes.
| |
|
| | A shocking, powerful example of what photojournalism is all about. It's difficult to look at this photograph, but important to.
| |
iamnona says:
| | (8/21/2006 2:09:10 PM) | |
|
| | this puts a knot in my gut...he's like my age~ i have to wonder what happened and why...even then ('94), his face was already so hard and his mind full~ your images always make my head spin...~
| |
|
| | Very very sad story ..... I am involved in a very similar situation. A street kid who has been on the street for years, now 23, is a fantastic musician, but is addicted to heroin and is going downhill fast. I have been trying to get him into a methadone clinic. The clinic just contacted me to say they have an open space for Jordan .... now I have to see if Jordan is really ready to get off ..... you can lead a horse to water, etc .......
(he told me that his mother used to tell him that "he shouldn't have been born, that he was a mistake, that she never wanted him"
| |
-Birdy- says:
| | (8/21/2006 5:27:22 PM) | |
|
| | These are amazing stories and equally amazing portraits.
| |
TFUFKAY says:
| | (8/21/2006 11:14:51 PM) | |
|
| | i love your caring talent.
& that shot by steve liss was almost as stunning yours. thanks for including it..:)
| |
Merkur* says:
| | (8/23/2006 6:33:01 PM) | |
|
| | wow,
I am wondering what drives you, to shoot hese kind of things, I appreciate it though
| |
|
| | I really admire the humanity you capture in your photography.
| |
muskva says:
| | (8/24/2006 12:54:01 PM) | |
|
| | !
| |
|
| | oh man!
This is just not right.
Looks like beavis's had a downhill trip.
| |
vvt says:
| | (8/24/2006 10:30:23 PM) | |
|
| | This photo seems to have sparked some debate.
Thats a good thing.
A powerful powerful image.
| |
|
| | Wow, incredibly power. Excellent capture.
| |
carf says:
| | (8/25/2006 11:26:05 PM) | |
|
| | Such a sad reminder of what happens to our kids when we are not capable of caring for them at a time when they needed us most.
Your images are always down to earth and deserve all the credit they receive.
| |
|
| | Thanks for showing reallity through your lens.
Great shot.
V.
| |
Jen S says:
| | (8/26/2006 1:54:33 AM) | |
|
| | holy cow. you're awesome for getting to know him a little. you can tell in the way you take his picture that you're not just objectifying him. it's hard looking at the picture; i imagine it would be especially hard to watch someone harm himself that way, so close-up.
| |
|
| | Speechless as everything been said above. Thank god USA is a family friendly country ( that is only in the womb)!!!
| |
gosiak says:
| | (8/27/2006 12:44:14 AM) | |
|
| | sad sad story. I do love your portraits. you always respect your models. and you are willing to listen to the people. great and a rare gift.
| |
D_E_O says:
| | (8/27/2006 6:03:41 PM) | |
|
| | Well stoneth, I'm not sure what I enjoy more. Your "the other side pics" or the comments from your legions.. None the less you certainly have an eye for the eyes........
| |
Arianit says:
| | (8/27/2006 8:52:22 PM) | |
|
| | Pictures with stories...That's what I have been expecting from Flickr all along.
| |
|
| | que barbaridad
impresiona muchisimo la verdad, que pena
| |
|
| | Amazing story. Sends chills down my back.
| |
|
| | shit. i'm speakless. this is a nat geo story bro. you just rocked me.
| |
|
| | impressive
| |
FLZ says:
| | (8/29/2006 8:50:06 PM) | |
|
| | ...
| |
|
| | Hard to see...sad story...but great documentary image!
| |
|
| | so heartbreaking
| |
|
| | a powerful portrait in words and images.
| |
si3illa says:
| | (8/30/2006 6:52:45 PM) | |
|
| | Terrific.
| |
|
| | Powerful picture. Thank you for sharing it. Will the magazine publish your picture?
It's amazing that beavis knows in '05 that Time took a picture of him. It seems he was (and is) really proud about that.
| |
|
| | I can't thank you enough for documenting street life the way you do.
| |
gdkarma says:
| | (8/31/2006 12:53:23 PM) | |
|
| | You are an amazing person to bring this reality to all of us computer owning, big camera carring people who try to find the next couple hundred dollars for a new lens to take pictures at the beach while were on vacation eating lobster...I feel like crap! These pictures make me want to do more THANK YOU! Truely amazing photos
| |
|
| | Heartbreaking
| |
|
| | very intense.
| |
|
| | That's was my first Flickr photo of the day, and I doubt I'll forget it for the rest of my life. So happy that's not me, a thousand times unhappier that it is someone else; makes me appreciate what I have.
| |
|
| | genius
| |
|
| | What an amazing story.
| |
|
| | I send him and his friends love. I don't want him to die. I hope he will want to live someday. Not on his death bed though. Thank you for your photo's.
| |
|
| | incredible... too powerful for words; the photo and the story about beavis.
| |
|
| | INVITE CODE
Please add this beautiful photograph if you accept the group rules to the (Remove or Fave me group!)
| |
|
| | The photo on Flickr that has affected me more than any other.
| |
|
| | I am tormented by this story and any other which involves a human being's slavery to addiction.
| |
|
| | you've done a remarkable thing by telling his story. by shedding some light on him. even though he is a street addict - he still has a story like we all do..thanks for telling it.
| |
|
| | wow....shocking image!
| |
|
| | shocking brutal and truthful. Takes guts to take a photograph like this
| |
|
| | This is amazing work. Classic in the making. Congrats on the success of this picture, Tomas.
| |
|
| | This is a shocking, brutal image showing the harsh reality of life for some people. I can hardly bear to look at it.
| |
|
| | Stunning, sad... but i can't stare too long to this photo.
| |
deVos says:
| | (9/24/2006 9:31:13 AM) | |
|
| | I caught you knockin'
at my cellar door
I love you, baby,
can I have some more
Ooh, ooh, the damage done.
I hit the city and
I lost my band
I watched the needle
take another man
Gone, gone, the damage done.
I sing the song
because I love the man
I know that some
of you don't understand
Milk-blood
to keep from running out.
I've seen the needle
and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie's
like a settin' sun.
[Neil Young - The Needle and the Damage done]
| |
|
| | Ouch!! Incredible picture
| |
|
| | As a therapist, I have seen the reality of the picture. Not of Beavis, but of hundreds of others. No other photo has ever done for "staying clean" what this one has the possibility of doing. It is haunting.
| |
|
| | oh man...
| |
Joe_13 says:
| | (9/27/2006 4:46:36 PM) | |
|
| | important work.
| |
|
| | I wanted to come back and agree with Joe_13....important. I see this image every day in my comments.... and it haunts me. Thank you for this image and for sharing this story on flickr.
| |
|
| | amazing... but.. i was taught by my 35mm darkroom instructor that the homeless are easy prey for photographers... what are you feelings on that??
| |
|
| | My thoughts are that Stoneth is amongst the finest and most sensitive photojournalists in the world.
| |
crowjay says:
| | (9/28/2006 10:33:17 AM) | |
|
| | wow!!!!!
| |
|
| | Dude I gotta tell you, this is one of the best images I have seen. And I have seen to many. I am a CSI, so I am not shocked, but the truth of it. AMAZING. SPEED KILLS SLOWLY!
| |
|
| | I don't think I could take pictures of the homeless and not get involved...
Anyway, it's such a strong picture. It made me want to look at the next one, and at the same time it kept me here, reading the comments...
| |
Liva says:
| | (10/2/2006 4:32:58 PM) | |
|
| | EXCELLENT.
he looks bad, yeah, But the story and Photo-just WOW!
| |
*kdon* says:
| | (10/3/2006 5:34:20 PM) | |
|
| | thank you for sharing this photo and story, it is so real and raw, and so nessessary.
thank you for meeting up with beavis still, and being a friend to him.
you are probably doing more than you even know.
thank you, from all of us who never take the time.......
| |
|
| | wow! incredible story, amazing image...yeah, stirs up so much emotion...it's almost unbelievable! cheers to you for your work...i have done a lot of work with homeless as well ~ i think it gets in your blood! i have a guy, "Harry", who has been homeless for 40 years who sits on my porch and asks for a sandwich everyday...I like to touch him ~ he's so rough, and I don't think he feels human touch very often, because he squeals and laughs like a little kid when i touch him...
it looks like the homeless people in your images feel your touch, whether it's physical or not, by the looks on their faces and the depth in their gazes...
fabulous!
| |
|
| | wow.
| |
|
| | Powerful.. I guess you already know it..
| |
|
| | This is life for many people. Great story behind this photo.
| |
|
| | I´m very impressed.
I would like to ask you permission to translate your text (into spanish) and publish it along with the picture in my blog. Obviously, mentioning and linking you.
Do you agree?
| |
|
| | Wow... that picture... it feels like someone is sitting on my chest. My first reaction was to click away... but I guess that's kind of the problem, isn't it?
Wow...
| |
stoneth says:
| | (10/13/2006 9:37:51 PM) | |
|
| | lostwithoutwords: i'm not against donations, but i'm also not a tourist ;) ...i've never given beavis money; i think he'd be insulted. i was talking with him once when a friend of his asked me for money; he disabused her of the notion as inappropriate.
Peter F. Martin: he's completely familiar with me; and he's fully coherent; he's also used to being photographed. i was the one uncomfortable as i quickly passed. he shouted after me to ask if i had my camera and to say that i should take a picture. i think he sees his lasting contribution as his photographic record. apparently, the Haight Ashbury Youth Outreach facility has many of the pictures of him through the years. anyway, i took a few pictures here; plus a few of him smoking a crack pipe ducking behind a parked car; plus a few of him drawing a picture for me on the back of his hand; plus a few of the young kid he was sitting with
bram_souffreau: good point! i'll check
G. Fouste Photography: what do i feel? kinship. respect. i feel honored to learn and speak and laugh and cry. i feel responsible. i feel like doing something.
davidllada: of course you can.
| |
|
| | this picture show us a reality so near to us but nobody see!!!
I'm almost with no-words... it keep me thinking...
thanks for share!!!!!
| |
{Annie} says:
| | (10/16/2006 2:59:28 PM) | |
|
| | gut wrenching, heartbreaking, gritty...and to see the contrast...forces me to remember he is somebody's baby.
| |
|
| | Wow thats a really powerful story!
| |
|
| | everything that you could look for in a photo and a story. fantastic again.
| |
nascity says:
| | (10/17/2006 8:04:39 AM) | |
|
| | Wow a sad story...
It's nice that you get to talk to those people, because i'm sure it makes a difference...even if it's little or temporary...it doesn't matter...i'm sure they appreciate every second you spend with them...treating them nicely & listening to their stories...
I loved the portrait of him when he was 14...also fantastic...
| |
|
| | Yesterday I saw this photo for the 1st time. Last night when I laid down to go to sleep I couldn't get this image out of my head. I started thinking...what can I do?? Then it hit me....I can pray for these folks. I'm so happy that you list their names. I prayed for Beavis last night & drifted off to sleep immediately. Stoneth, I want to thank you for opening so many different peoples eyes & minds to the real world. You are a beautiful soul indeed!
| |
|
| | Stunning reality... I am amazed
| |
|
| | I can actually say I know what this fella is going through. I to had a very bad addiction to methamphetimine. I used to shoot up many times every day. I would depreive myself of sleep and food for weeks at a time. I went from a healthy strong 220 lbs to a weak and ill 135 lbs with in a 6 month period. I lost every thing and almost my life. Now im a sober hard working man and a supervisor for a fortune 500 company. Addiction can strike anyone. I came from a good family I also served in the military for 4 years and even made it through 2 years at a big ten school and have always had a 80,000.00 dollar a year job. I will say though it was very hard to regain everything again. I never want to go through the hell I experianced again.
| |
|
| | ..!!!
| |
|
| | sad and beautiful
| |
gizi says:
| | (10/21/2006 10:25:23 PM) | |
|
| | Mynda, up there, said everything.
this is like bringing us to reality and putting us in front of our own lives, how fortunate we are.
true reality.
| |
|
| | Living in Hell here on earth...........so sad so humble do i feel for what i see, what i cant imagine is the immesurable suffering this soul is going through. To endure He must be a Strong Spirit indeed..................
| |
|
| | Thank you for sharing..............
| |
|
| | Sledgehammer-strong. Amazing work.
| |
|
| | My "jaw" is still on my chest and my mouth still open...........as I look at a sight like I have never seen before.
WOW...
| |
|
| | Wow..a really disturbing photo, and a compelling story about the man.
--
Seen on your photo stream. (?)
| |
|
| | this made me cry. it is the single most saddest picture i have ever seen.
| |
|
| | If the truth is out there, then you just found it and showed it to us. It's incredibly hard to look at, but I'll take it any day over what passes for news elsewhere. Absolutely phenomenal.
| |
|
| | harsh and amazing.
| |
|
| | Wow... such a contrast from the photograph from '94... geez. Incredible. I want to look away, but can't. Incredible capture.
| |
|
| | I found you through Google...looking up Daine Arbus....I will be back looking at your amazing photos.
| |
|
| | brutal, nice capture
| |
tofslie says:
| | (11/7/2006 11:08:32 PM) | |
|
| | He is also in this photo from the same photographer.
Love your photos.
| |
|
| | Informed consent?
| |
|
| | I'm touched. Incredible.
--
Seen on kottke.org. (?)
| |
|
| | wow. i don't think i've ever been this affected by a photo before. painfully powerful...
| |
bcostin says:
| | (11/16/2006 2:18:09 PM) | |
|
| | Moving photo. It's sad when anyone takes a wrong turn and wastes their life in self-destruction like that, especially in a world with so many good alternatives.
| |
mbrozo says:
| | (11/16/2006 4:10:18 PM) | |
|
| | No words to describe, just, wow.
| |
|
| | Gut wrenching. Wow.
| |
|
| | This is a story like I have never heard before. I am glad that you bring things like this to everyones attention in the world...
| |
|
| | great picture. i think it would work well as a montage with the Time photo.
| |
|
| | Heart-breaking...
Amazing image!
| |
|
| | Ah Beavis. Despite his willingness to be photographed the photo still brings up issues of exploitation, voyeurism, and the (im)possibility of consent - as does all photojournalism. However, Beavis loves to have his picture taken, so the question may be moot. I wonder, though, how he will feel about this picture after he cleans up.
| |
mac218 says:
| | (11/19/2006 10:42:57 PM) | |
|
| | Viewed nearly 54,000 times. Must be one of the most viewed pic on Flickr?
Amazing photo... it's a compliment, too, that these "folks" are finally "seen". I'm sure you're one of the rare individuals that not only sees those on the periphery, but investigates their stories.
Affecting the world, one photo at a time...
Well done.
| |
melser says:
| | (11/20/2006 1:40:51 AM) | |
|
| | This makes me cringe... it's sad and scary.
| |
|
| | all the photos in this set are incredible.
| |
|
| | the before and after.. heartbreaking .
| |
Joelini says:
| | (11/21/2006 4:39:48 PM) | |
|
| | strong and good photos!!!
| |
|
| | visually strong but the story even more compelling.
enjoyed going through your photos.
| |
|
| | this is very strong, n im quite shocked. did beavis not get any medical help? his hands are too bad........
| |
|
| | absolutely heart-wrenching shot. and to see the photo of him at 14, which is a fantastic shot, very innocent with the kitten, vulnerable, then to see him now. amazing story.
| |
|
| | ouch
| |
x4d41 says:
| | (12/8/2006 1:44:09 AM) | |
|
| | Muito foda essa foto, mostra um morador de rua (ou como algumas pessoas chamam, mendigo) se furando, sendo que o contraste que ela mostra é bem chocante, você consegue ver que ele não demonstra muitos sinais de melhora, eu diria que é uma foto triste, mas necessária.
| |
|
| | I hope I meet this guy......i feel like a piece of shit seeing this......i have nothing to complain about.......i am nothing...........i am nothing.........fucking dust in the wind.....
| |
|
| | Thank you for posting this.
Here's to everyone who got lost along the way. (I miss you.)
| |
|
| | Wow.
--
Seen in a discussion of Utata. (?)
| |
|
| | Ouch. So that's what happened to the runaway homeless street kids of the 90s. I remember the story and pictures.
Seen in a discussion of Utata.
| |
|
| | it's so harsh yet so honest
| |
|
| | utterly lost...so sad
| |
|
| | i know some young people's workers in glasgow who have kids on their case books as young as 10 who are using, this is an image those kids and the cooncil who are withdrawing funding need to see
| |
|
| | Wow, so powerful! Yet, this IS the reality of life on the streets everywhere!
You do absolutely fabulous work by showing all of these homeless, desprate, street people! Just wonderful!
| |
|
| | Stunning... sad... no words... Incredible humain! :(
| |
mygemi says:
| | (12/21/2006 3:28:47 AM) | |
|
| | powerful
| |
|
| | Wow !!
| |
|
| | What more can be said. Devastatingly honest.
| |
lari-l says:
| | (12/25/2006 9:11:03 PM) | |
|
| | cant fave this.
| |
|
| | this man is still walking free. why is he not in a mental institution???
| |
|
| | Amazing story and photography. Instant Fav.
| |
|
| | such powerful photography... i feel for you beavis.
| |
|
| | Your work is amazing and very powerful.
| |
|
| | unbelieveable view list!
| |
|
| | That's beautiful is such a sad way.
| |
|
| | impressionnant, j'en ai des frissons ! Bravo
| |
|
| | Wow! Your images just blow me away! I am brought to tears and just....speechless....
| |
|
| | Incredibly moving set. Thank you for being so real. This photo is brutal and powerful. Thank you.
| |
|
| | great story! this picture says more then thousand words
| |
|
| | This is art, this is terrible. You have a freat eye, but an even greater commitment.
Truly Yours.
| |
|
| | Wow, what an incredibly moving shot. The reality of someone being homeless from such a young age is heartbreaking. Brilliant photography!
| |
|
| | She wonders, would this not bring it home to kids, that are moving into the quarters of drugs ... it is a very strong photograph ... what amazes me is most of these habituals have brains. Sad, I hope that there will be a way one day to get it through to youngsters.
Unfortunately it is all do with their conditioning ... their environment ... weaknesses ... Find the cause ... then come up with the solution.
Brilliant ... and thought provoking photograph.
| |
|
| | i really like this and the story behind it...addiction can be a tough one to conquer..
| |
|
| | was he tatooing him self?
| |
|
| | I could be wrong, but it looks kind of photoshopped to me. The blood, that is. I've seen a lot of junkies shooting up, but have never seen that much blood. Usually it's just a lot of scarred and bruised arms. Not like that at all.
| |
|
| | Outstanding!
| |
|
| | This is an outstanding excellent photo. This foto is a pic of reality and i love your work
| |
|
| | muy impactante, todo un documento
gracias
| |
moneboh says:
| | (1/7/2007 11:54:40 PM) | |
|
| | great image, so strong so intense!
| |
|
| | wow, thats the kind of photo and story that matters and that I strive for. beautiful and painful.
| |
|
| | why living without meeting your job?.....
I am completely surprising and touched and hurted and speechless.......
| |
|
| | The only photo on flickr that's made me cry. Absolutely devastating.
| |
matits says:
| | (1/12/2007 5:15:49 PM) | |
|
| | may I ask?? please message me back!! what is he doign??
| |
|
| | Great and terrible.
| |
|
| | A sad story. But I'm fascinated that you are strong enough to take picture on things such as this. I really like it, it means so much. Keep it up! :)
| |
|
| | love it
| |
|
| | it pains me to see something like this.
yet, i thank you for sharing it with us.. and opening my eyes.
| |
|
| | This picture is worth about a million words.
| |
|
| | all i can say...is holy shit. very powerful.
| |
|
| | your work is very powerful
| |
|
| | tan dura, y tan bella...
so hard, and so beauty...
| |
|
| | This is a really striking image! Living in Icelans, a conrty where homelessness is almost non-existant there kins of pictures are a good reminder that there are people in the world that don´t have it as good as we do over here, even in a country that brags about being the "greatest country in the world".
| |
|
| | Honestly, I can't even type how deep of a chord this strikes....
Beautiful, powerful, and sad all rolled into one knot in my throat.
Fantastic shot.
| |
~Rob~ says:
| | (1/23/2007 12:23:06 AM) | |
|
| | A million little pieces..........
| |
|
| | OMG... those ulcers. that poor man. I've been to the Tenderloin, but I hadn't seen anything that bad.
looks like he has a *wicked* infection.
holy G*d. see, this is what pay-tp-play healthcare gets a society...
You wanna fight NeoCon cannibalization of healthcare? remove corporatized medicine?
show THAT to a NeoCon & ask:
"you want THAT infection left on a public doorknob?"
they'll either pony up like Bill Gates for TB, or become handwashing OCD victims.
Spread Love...
... but wear the Glove!
BlueBerry Pick'n
can be found @
ThisCanadian
"Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced"
| |
|
| | They say a picture paints a thousand words, say no more. very powerfull picture.
| |
CRISTO- says:
| | (1/25/2007 4:28:49 AM) | |
|
| | amazing
| |
|
| | love the story...but i feel bad for the guy... :(
| |
|
| | The sadness I feel, the loss.. I do , if I were to feel what this photo conveys, oh, you got a winner here
| |
|
| | Keep trying. You might be his only chance to do something better.
| |
|
| | You should consider entering your photo in the "Love" challenge
| |
|
| | thats so strong
| |
|
| | great photo and story
| |
|
| | Raw pure energy in this shoot, outstanding job Stoneth, thanks for shaking our minds,
Cheers,
Al
| |
|
| | can I say F#@k on here? wow disturbing picture - thanks for sharing this
| |
|
| | ...great!!
| |
eyewash says:
| | (1/31/2007 6:57:46 PM) | |
|
| | am speachless & humbled, as usual...
| |
|
| | Very powerful imagry.
| |
|
| | That's an amazing photo and story. It's so sad how society treats the homeless and addicts.
We have a huge problem here in the Vancouver downtown eastside. Addicts and the homeless fill the streets as Mercedes and Lexus’s drive by on their way to the burbs. The government will spend hundreds of millions on the 2010 Olympics, and allows the slumlords legal loopholes to evict poor people from the S.R.O.’s so they can be converted to ridiculously over priced condos. Meantime, overdoses rise along with the number of homeless people.
So many of us in the western world bemoan our fate if we have to stand in line or there's heavy traffic. Meanwhile our bellies are full to bursting. We take for granted how easy our lives really are. We get so caught up in our little worlds, we forget that not everyone is thinking about which color their new car should be, the bad service they had at the bank, if their pants make their butt look big, or complain about the broccoli they will have for dinner.
What is wrong with us?
| |
|
| | ual excelent job !! very cool
| |
|
| | this is very moving. a reality check. i am speechless
| |
Kaká says:
| | (2/2/2007 3:54:05 PM) | |
|
| | Devastating. I would never be able to take a photo like that.
| |
|
| | diagree with leafy, actually shielding youth from this type of photo would be to limit their world view but you stated the opposite. showing imagery of this nature is certainly not comparable to forcing the kid to try the substance in order to learn about it. i'd imagine it would only be an attempt to prevent that.
without any background and guidance of course a child would not know what to make of it. thats where parenting comes in. when one is ready to teach younger people about certain things i think something like this could be an appropriate example. hard to tell what you believe that age should be. i don't think there is one universal right answer to that.
interesting perspective from heldriver. having always lived in major us cities, homeless is something i am def. used to seeing and it is ironic considering the way this country presents itself on the world stage.
| |
kms ! says:
| | (2/3/2007 5:23:09 AM) | |
|
| | Oh my god. Amazing.
| |
|
| | Oh my God, this is just tragic!
| |
|
| | this is amazing. and all of your shots are amazing. they are real and raw.
almost everyone who is into photography fabricates their photos, and makes everything an unreal reality..
and you don't lie. you just take what you see, and it's great. because you are showing others, taking them down that path and back again.
opening eyes, to what others try to hide.
but it's the truth.
| |
|
| | Sad.
| |
|
| | Very moving, and unforgettable
| |
|
| | a car wreck, I cant look away.
| |
|
| | wow, stunning
| |
yonas1 says:
| | (2/19/2007 1:42:44 AM) | |
|
| | insanely powerful
| |
slon_md says:
| | (2/24/2007 2:29:56 PM) | |
|
| | excellent work!!!!!!
| |
|
| | powerful photo and story!!! I apreciate your work...
| |
|
| | this is just so so powerful
| |
~*gEm*~ says:
| | (2/26/2007 2:06:00 PM) | |
|
| | Ive just taken my hand away from over my mouth, where the tears steamed down onto my fingers.
Im an early childhood teacher- and sadly Ive seen children like Beavis, where they're in an environment that they didnt necessarily choose but while theyre children it almost has a sweet sense of innocence.. Im sorry that Beavis is where he is. I know a loving family, a happy home and a bright future isnt for all of us.. but perhaps in my youth I would hope that its possible.......
Im no longer going to concentrate on what I 'don't' have.
| |
|
| | I consider this picture a powerful and haunting denunciation of a drug policy that forces drug-addicts to the bottom of society and makes organized crime rich. Beavis is sick and he could still have a chance to live up to his (alleged) potential when he could have his fix on a daily free basis (just like a medicine, because he can't do without). Drugs destroy, true. But this destruction is aggravated, enforced and upheld by a stupid inhuman drug policy that punishes above all the wrong people, the victims of drugs. It's time for a change.
| |
|
| | fuck, your photographs are incredible.
| |
|
| | Excellent story and photography. Thanks.
--
Found in a search. (?)
| |
|
| | !!!
| |
|
| | I've got Johnny Cash stuck in my head. Hurt (the Nine Inch Nails cover)
I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
| |
Benrut says:
| | (3/8/2007 12:16:03 AM) | |
|
| | jesus christ man, i guess youv'e heard this a million times, but this hurts.
| |
|
| | ★ Everything as been said... still a great shot and a closer story.
♥... !
Thanks for
"Portrait★Faces"
--
Seen in These favorites. (?)
| |
|
| | Escape!
| |
|
| | Thank you for such an eye opener. Sometimes I forget how truly blessed I am.
| |
|
| | I came to this image a week ago but I didnt comment. I got lost
in the discussion with my 2 sons, ages 12 and 10 about the
consequences of making bad choices. I explained that when Beavis
was their age he didnt think he would end up a homeless man dying
of addiction. Nobody says they're going to grow up and be like this.
I wanted to remind them that at every turn of the corner there are
decisions to be made. Even now Beavis has the chance to turn this
all around. I wish him strength and courage to do so. Thank you for
creating a pathway to communication. The lesson was not lost on my
children.
| |
liizza says:
| | (3/14/2007 10:15:22 PM) | |
|
| | Your photos are stunning..
| |
|
| | very bitter and disturbing. your camera is dispiteous.
| |
|
| | This is one of the most stunning and powerful statement street-photo I have seen.
| |
|
| | i like very much the photo and the story...
| |
|
| | that's wild he's an artist. the moment i saw your portrait, i was hesitant to add it, b/c i felt kind of weird how i felt that this picture was such art to me.... such amazing artwork. this is the reason i love portraits of people. your captures are amazing. i love how you post their real story w. their photo as well. you didn't just go pointing and shooting.
| |
|
| | That's why I like photography.
| |
|
| | 
| |
|
| | WOW!!! What a powerful image of a very sad situation.
Danny
| |
|
| | That is Raw and brings reality straight into your heart and mind, hard to get unattached from that image.
Plight of the underprivileged needs to be shown this way, carry on the excellent work!
| |
|
| | I was wondering if anyone thought of actually helping this young man... you know... kick his habit and get off the street? I'm worried that these photographs only fetishize the homeless...
| |
stoneth says:
| | (3/28/2007 6:37:16 AM) | |
|
| | driveliekjehu:
see comment above.
yes. and he is fully plugged into the service infrastructure. but it's complicated.
he was doing a lot better last time i saw him, though. his arms were healing. but it ebbs and flows, and i haven't seen him for a few months (which is quite unusual; since i had been talking to him most weeks).
when i saw him that last time he hugged me goodbye. i felt a bit embarrassed and kinda missed the moment. i hope he's well.
| |
|
| | It's just that I've been homeless myself once, when I first left the foster care system which I grew up in, and I can only speak from my own experiences. I've learned that most people tend to treat homelessness in a mystical, rather than realistic light. By realistic I suppose I mean fixating the issue on giving financial help, as well as free psychological services and better yet a support network Rather than just gawking at them in an exaggerated display of pity and goodwill, which quite frankly doesn't help the homeless diddly squat.
Before I was actually homeless, as a child, I naively (and innocently, like I'm sure many of those who commented here) treated the issue of homelessness as something that is "inspiring, heartfelt, meaningful, deep" or something along those lines... something to take energy and strength from... but such an attitude in fact fetishizes a situation that should not exist. Blood is on all our hands, as a society, when people, especially young people, continue to live in such conditions.
Years later when I was actually living on the streets, I realized that homelessness is nothing more than a poverty-induced hell... a psychologically tormenting experience which has burned into me a different perspective on human nature and society that will last a lifetime, something that people who have not been homeless themselves will never. ever. understand. No offence, but it's true. I can feel it right now, reliving the pain, as I see some of the faces of the homeless, especially the younger people. the only message I can make out is pain... and I want to end both their pain and their past traumas. There is nothing remotely "inspiring" or somesuch going on here at all. Your photos are extremely necessary and important to society from a journalistic perspective, to get average people concerned about these issues, but I think many are misreading what they should be for. Reading over most of these comments, I'm both shocked and deeply saddened at the naivete of their sentiments (given they are driven by good will and a sheltered life experience).
Oh well.
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents.
| |
artOtek says:
| | (3/28/2007 9:03:57 AM) | |
|
| | Simply heartbreaking... a moving testimonial... I'm speechless in front of such a human drama...
| |
|
| | You do a fantastic work ! God bless you !
| |
العاب says:
| | (3/30/2007 7:15:22 AM) | |
|
| | what an amazing capture
العاب فلاش
| |
|
| | wow you have the most amazing photos, but i'm sure you know that!!!!!
these are complety gripping images, thank you for sharing these images
| |
|
| | Wow.. Startling and amazing image.
| |
Stew* says:
| | (4/3/2007 4:48:03 PM) | |
|
| | Shocking and Amazing.
| |
milt9 says:
| | (4/4/2007 11:20:14 AM) | |
|
| | Shocking capture....
| |
|
| | Great Capture. I am a social work student and actually although it portrays a man in society trying to cope with his current situation, he is doing the best he can right now. It portrays the need for such social policies that influence him directly to be changed asap.
Nice Capture. I do some homeless shots as well. There is an interesting book written about Aboriginal populations actually. The point is you can apply it to photography. We live our lives by the stories that we tell. Basically I see this photo telling the viewer that something needs to be done.
| |
|
| | Holy Sh*t! That's messed up!
| |
|
| | I've never seen anything like that before. It makes me want to vomit, yet it's one of the coolest photos I've seen here.
| |
|
| | Good shot, shows how hard true life can hit people.
and...
Leafy:
I'm now 26 and can remember going to AA meetings with my uncle back in the days of first grade. I can say for sure that those meetings have helped shape my character. A young persons mind is not only impressionable, but very strong. In many other countries where children aren't as spoiled as here kids Are the life of the family taking care of both parents and siblings. It's well time people started treating young adults such as they are.
| |
|
| | i took notice of your album here weeks if not months ago, before i even joined flickr. this shot grabbed my heart immediately. i really don't have anything i can say about it except for that... it just took me in. other than that i am speechless. i'll be spending more time in the future looking at your works.
| |
|
| | wow...i dont even know what to say but what an interesting man, a great picture, and an amazing story.
| |
|
| | Manipulation on Body Mind & Nature, would love to have your photo added to the group.
| |
|
| | If he was 14 in 94 he's about 26 in this shot. I'd have guessed he was 40.
One of the loudest photos I've seen yet...
| |
|
| | a very powerful picture. this picture is one picture that is definetely worth more than a thousand words. it screams out pain, hurt, sadness, and how the world really is like. this picture makes me cry and think about what has happened to this world. thaks for the rude awakening. thaks very much.
| |
|
| | Wow--I don't think that I have seen an image on Flickr get so much attention or stir up so many emotions. That is what photography is all about in my opinion. Great Capture. You definitely are showing the ugly side of drugs and I think that young adults should see this and realize how ugly and desperate drugs can get.
| |
|
| | Quite a sotry this picture have behind it....
A fav for sure...
| |
|
| | I've lived in San Francisco since the middle seventies and became aware of Beavis around the middle to late nineties (my sense of time is terrible). I would see him in the Haight a lot, with his mohawk haircut and his shopping cart; usually with a little girlfriend. I also remember that article in Time magazine.
I haven't seen him in years. I don't work downtown, so rarely, if ever, have I any reason to go to the Tenderloin. Until seeing this picture and your essay accompanying it, I had never realized this was the same guy in the article. Furthermore, if you hadn't had this little essay I would never have recognized Beavis - simply mindblowing.
If he was 14 in 1994, then Beavis is in his late twenties now - he looks like he's in his late fifties. God, the poor guy has aged a lot.
Poor bunny, no life should be lived like this. I just don't know what to say - how shocking, how sad. I'm almost ready to cry as I write this.
| |
|
| | This is shocking.
| |
|
| | Wow, I am actually kind off speechless...this is what photography about - capturing an image in time that shows life in all its reality- no frills, for good or bad. This really is a picture that tells a thousand words, and as can be seen from all the commentary means different things to different people. It (and the story) both captivates and repulses me.....definately a fave as its it rare given what I do for a living, that something has this much of an effect.....
| |
|
| | I really don't know what to write, but I feel I need to say basically what everyone else has said above! This picture first off is amazing (you know what I mean). It's also sick and crazy, but yet reality! Thank you for sharing and giving people a different view of life. We all complain about stupid things sometimes and yet this guy doesn't have too much to look forward to in his everyday life (I would imagine thats how it is). I hope he can somehow get help! Again, thanks for sharing! Instant fave!
| |
|
| | Question.....
This pic was taken in August of 2006. What are the odds of you getting another recent shot of Beavis?
=)
| |
|
| | amazing photo and even more amazing story. where does he get the $$ for his fix? that's what scares me...
| |
|
| | I really admire your courage to take pictures like this one, cause I know i never could. I think it would destroy me.
| |
|
| | Powerful picture. I have a younger brother who is an addict..only time can tell until he's on the street like that. Addiction is so sad.
| |
|
| | Wow
| |
Ice 18 says:
| | (4/24/2007 10:41:04 PM) | |
|
| | 
G~day, I'm an admin for a group called Weird & Wonderful The Dark Side, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
| |
|
| | its so sad but amazing at the same time ... increible!
| |
|
| | Hi, I'm an admin for a group called I, Witness, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
| |
|
| | Great Story and heavy Photoartwork but wow!!!
| |
|
| | lol, this is worse:
| |
|
| | this is a powerful image
I hope beavis will call 415- 621-8600 or
go Sunday at 6pm to 459 Turk near Larkin (in hotel lobby)
xox
| |
=Tom= says:
| | (5/7/2007 4:36:09 AM) | |
|
| | I am blown away by the power of your photography and this image in particular stirs up emotions that most viewers try to ignore and/or forget. Thank you for your honest photography. It is truly moving!
--
Seen on your photo stream. (?)
| |
|
| | unbelievable.
| |
|
| | interesting ..
| |
|
| | oh my g g g g g god!!!
horriable...
THIS is homicidal!!!
| |
|
| | a compellingly tragic shot
| |
|
| | Easily one of the most impressive photos I've ever seen. Like the story as well.
| |
Nrbelex says:
| | (5/20/2007 6:13:49 AM) | |
|
| | Truly a captivating picture and story.
--
Found in a search. (?)
| |
|
| | normally with that much of a description to a photo, i wouldn't read it. but with this one, i was hooked. there is so much emotion portrayed through this, that i can't find the right words to put to it. he actually reminds me of someone i know. this is incredible.
| |
|
| | Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Pro Account Members, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
Brilliant photo! Thanks for sharing.
| |
|
| | A photograph that makes a real difference.
beavis this is award winning photography!!!!
| |
|
| | wow... I also love the capture of him as a kid... but why does he have cut up his arm that cruel... there are easyer ways to find a vein, aren´t there?!
anyway, great pic with a great story... the story made me fave it
| |
|
| | i saw this a long time ago and since its been one of my favourite photos. i also love reading the descriptions you write for each photo.
| |
|
| | This image is sick!!! Please help us Pollute the digital world!!!
| |
|
| | all that I can say is OMG.
| |
|
| | This is an incredibly powerful image. I think, mostly, because of the difference between his wounds and the "business as usual" expression on his face.
| |
|
| | I am sure you heard thisbefore but this really inspired me...nicely done!!
| |
|
| | As a Mom I just want to hug him and take him in. I hate this world where it's okay to throw away our children, or abuse them so much they feel the need to run.
May the angels continue to watch over him and deliver him from the hell he is dwelling in.
Thank you for the poignant story and images. My heart goes out to him and every other kid that has had to live on the streets.
| |
|
| | beevis cleans up nice. as long as he's still alive he has a chance to do more with his life.
| |
Kitbex says:
| | (6/17/2007 9:06:00 PM) | |
|
| | its a brilliant and artistically capture of a really sad thing.
its both shocking and aesthetically. it makes me wanna
look and wanna not look.
| |
|
| | heart-crushing photo...
| |
|
| | I commend you for having the courage to talk with him. Most people would shun away. Your work should be posted in the schools so the children can see for them selfs where that path leads.
| |
|
| | What can one say being a father and a parent seeing this photo makes one aware of how important it is to help our children find their way in life and not stray from that path. Am sure all the people that have left message would wish to help Beavis to have a normal life but now for him this life is normal. A shocking and thought provoking photograph that hits you in the guts and really awakens your emotions, hats off of a superb capture.
| |
|
| | I can't speak...it's horrible
| |
|
| | VERY powerful.
| |
|
| | The story adds so much to a photograph that is already more than average. Incredible photograph.
| |
|
| | Thanks for sharing this incredible story and pictures.
| |
|
| | Hi, I'm an admin for a group called GPF Click Art Award, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
| |
Joel... says:
| | (8/11/2007 4:38:50 AM) | |
|
| | Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Candid portraits only, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
| |
|
| | Disturbing. Compelling. Disgusting on a few levels. You got it all, right here, incredible capture.
| |
|
| | Also, thanks much for the great backstory.
| |
DarrinW says:
| | (8/22/2007 9:28:56 PM) | |
|
| | Thank you. Based on the accompanying YouTube videos, it appears he is clean/sober and living another chapter of his life. Thanks again. Very powerful.
--
Seen on your photo stream. (?)
| |
|
| | brutal reality
| |
|
| | Hola, soy el administrador de un grupo llamado PAIN // :: Culture magazine :: y nos encantaría agregar tu foto al grupo.
---
Hi! Great work! im admin of the new group
PAIN // :: Culture magazine :: , would be really great if you join te group..or share this picture there! thanks!
| |
|
| | This should be an image presented in every high-school. There is NOTHING glamorous about addiction. Wake-up world !
Bravo on an amazing feat in an amazing photograph.
| |
lccwong says:
| | (9/17/2007 4:05:14 PM) | |
|
| | Utterly brutal, real, powerful, honest.
| |
|
| | See this daily in Canada , no one absolutely no one will talk about this sate that some of us find ourselves in.
Whew, hardens the heart, a black spot on a cornary xray.
| |
rhutch says:
| | (10/9/2007 9:48:46 PM) | |
|
| | such a powerful picture and story.
| |
fleebag says:
| | (10/15/2007 1:34:36 PM) | |
|
| | well, wow, the text works so well with this peice. seeing the photograph for the first ime you see a junky. read the stroy your perseption changes. you now see a person who you can reflect your feelings on! amazing
| |
basilly says:
| | (10/15/2007 5:48:18 PM) | |
|
| | How in the hell can someone hate themselves so much? How? This is paralyzing affirmation of mental sickness. God you are a good photographer.
| |
Joel... says:
| | (10/18/2007 1:12:18 AM) | |
|
| | He is not alone, although he seems to be the epitome of self loathing. People destroy themselves everyday and in every way imaginable. This is not a comment meant to detract from the power of the image or its slap in the face quality.
| |
|
| | Wouldn't say "favourite" in the true sense of the word, but this is a stirring, provocative photo that should be lauded. It looks like many people commenting have had their eyes forced open by this. That can only be a good thing.
| |
|
| | that photo, and more importantly his story, is just amazing. Thanks for sharing them both.
--
Seen in your street kids set. (?)
| |
|
| | Wonderful work.
| |
|
| | can't look, can't tear my eyes away
--
Found in a search. (?)
| |
|
| | Hi, I'm with a group called Faces of DEATH., and we'd love to have your photo added to the group, as well as become a group member!
Have a great week, enjoy life, live long...
;ppp
| |
|
| | Fabulous shot
| |
|
| | Why is brutality of life so fascinating?
--
Found in a search. (?)
| |
cpm73 says:
| | (12/23/2007 6:50:19 AM) | |
|
| | Thank you.
| |
|
| | what do you do with your life ?
| |
|
| | You tell this story so naturally, it lessens how strong someone would originally feel about the photo, but it tells a whole new and side and wakens people up.
| |
Buglugs says:
| | (1/11/2008 11:18:10 PM) | |
|
| | I found this image under the people tag. I have also seen this kind of damaging activity on television, in the news, what have you...
But for Beavis, this is his comfort zone and escape from living on the streets. To most of us, it's just creepy... But hey, "welcome" to someone's real world..!
It's a serious frightening image, so very haunting. It makes me respect myself and appreciate this planet even more. Life is precious... Thanks Tom!
| |
|
| | truly amazing snap
| |
|
| | raw life uncensored, great shot
| |
ekizz says:
| | (2/22/2008 10:40:20 PM) | |
|
| | This is what photography is all about, capturing true life.
| |
|
| | wicked sick ...
Cool
| |
|
| | It is a powerful image. Nevertheless, I fail to see how an addict shooting up with his arm all covered in blood can be seen as "almost art" like angelaurondo states on the note.
And before everyone relatiates against my statement, yes I do know a herion addict personally.
(Just my 2c worth).
| |
|
| | Intense and powerful image.
| |
§@!η† says:
| | (4/28/2008 7:26:00 PM) | |
|
| | Life is difficult everywhere :(
| |
|
| | Its certainly difficult for the law abiding citizens who have been affected by drug related crimes.
| |
|
| | please add your great photo to flickr.com/groups/manportrait/
| |
|
| | I know it's all been said before, but still, it has to be said again: it's sad and strong and shocking and ..............
| |
|
| | i second that.
www.flickr.com/photos/stoneth/206309920/comment7215759422...
| |
alsay says:
| | (7/25/2008 11:45:33 AM) | |
|
| | OUCH!!!!!!!!!
it hurts
this is really amazing, a true life story, too bad the link of the other picture does not work now, i would love to see when he was 14
| |
|
| | That's extraordinary
| |
|
| | Wow, this is no joke. two years ago I found the photo of Beavis with the kitty, and now, two years later I find this photo, amazing. :O
| |
|
| | Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Fight Club - Politics & Society (project mayhem), and we'd love to have this added to the group!
| |
|
| | Damn ! ... I love this image simply for its honesty, reality, and its potential to make me think.
| |
|
| | holy crap - life aint fair..
| |
|
| | unbelievably powerful imagine, words can't do it justice
| |
|
| | Its the story that puts this photo into context for me. Quite a powerful image and its interesting to to read.
| |
|
| | unbelievable -- scary, disgusting, heartbreaking
| |
|
| | Is he happy like that? Look at his arms.. that is so sad.
| |
|
| | Mmmmm
| |
|
| | This image hits hard and heavy as death. Great work. Extremely moving photo and wonderful documentation.
| |
|
| | stuck for words..........;-(
| |
|
| | Very powerful image.
| |
|
| | This is the single most powerful photograph I've ever seen.
| |
|
| | Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Portrait★Faces★Open Minded, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
★ Thank you too for your post in
Portrait★Faces
Continue...
________
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Seen next to a fellow photo of the group "Portraits... Get Closer!". (?)
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| | Astounding.
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| | realilty of human life like this is eye opening
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~*gEm*~ says:
| | (5/23/2009 1:01:27 PM) | |
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| | THE saddest thing about this image, is that I inject myself everyday with a drug to try to continue my physical health so that a potentially debilitating disease doesn't run rampant through my body and inevitably make me disabled- if only I could be physically healthy enough to pick scabs and 'escape' reality.... sorry sarcasm is angers ugly cousin. :(
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| | Powerful and sad indeed. The Night of the Hunter (1955) is my favorite film. "There's too many of them. I can't kill the world" the Preacher said. But he who kills one person kills a world, whether it's by articulate slow motion suicide or any other method.
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| | this is intense.
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| | Sad, he may not live to the age he looks by the looks of it ,but a great picture of the truth.
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| | Definitely shocking image!
Of great quality, don't get me wrong..
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