Chris Arnade's- faces of addiction.

[Thomas brookes]

Often in photography i find a back story takes away the viewers opinions and imagination being forced to take the photo for what it is rather than what you inturpreted it as. For Me in this case It was completely different. I just couldn't stop clicking,seeing,and reading about the people in Chris arnade some what jornalistic approach on his flickr page. He is a wall street banker and amature photographer who likes to photograph and document people's lives in the Bronx. On his Flickr page he says, “I post people's stories as they tell them to me. I am not a journalist. I don't try to verify, just listen.” His portraits and the stories that accompany them are heartbreaking.
Please take a look


Clarence: Hunts Point, Bronx by Chris Arnade, on Flickr

Clarence: Hunts Point, Bronx
The "Junkyard" is a vacant lot on an otherwise industrial side street in Hunts Point. Its where many of the local addicts spend their time, gossiping and smoking. They bring their carts filled with what they can collect to sell to the adjacent scrap metal shops.
Its where I found Clarence, who has lived for fourty years in Hunts Point since moving from North Carolina as a teenager.
I spoke with Clarence, a former truck driver, for a long time. He told me all that his addiction has wrought: job loss, homelessness, health problems. Never once did he sound angry, bitter, or depressed.
More on Addiction: Faces of Addiction
More from the Bronx here: The Bronx

Flickr: Chris Arnade's Photostream

 

[Paul Lange]

These images are great, thank you Tom for posting. I really enjoyed looking at them. Rather than trying to produce images that are gritty and give the impressions of poverty and sickness they show the subjects as people in the best light while still being honest portraits.

 

[Pete Askew]

Wonderful find Tom, thanks for posting it. I agree with Paul, the power of these images is that the reveal the person not their circumstances. Their is real humanity in the process. I will look through them in more detail later.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Wow - puts a 'bad day' into perspective.

Arnade's got balls of steel to even start - let alone go back again and again, and get the pictures and the stories.

Must be a sole destroying task though - you're advancing your project, but each time is another tragic story...

Great find Tom - I'm going to link to him and keep up with his pictures.