This is a photo of a street vendor in a small city located in Haiti. Her grim frown was similar to a huge percentage of people I met on the streets of Haiti. I saw very few smiles from adult Haitians, but lots of smiles from children. Adults in Haiti look warn and aged.
The average lifespan for an adult male in Haiti was 51 several years ago. It is now closer to 61 (2015) today. The average age that women die in Haiti is 64.
Voodoo is something that most hear about and think is interesting, fascinating and even fictitious. However, it is actually a Satanic ritual that is very much real. This is a photo of a practicing Haitian Voodoo Witch Doctor. He is about 53-years old age and lives one hour away from Cap-Haitien, Haiti. He has many followers who turn to him on a regular basis.
I visited several Voodoo Ceremonial Grounds in Haiti and found multiple human skulls, a casket and other skeletal remains used during ritualistic activities. Human sacrifices, murders and more are all a part of Satanic Voodoo Ceremonies in Haiti.
In 2013, Haiti Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin told NPR News that real Voodoo Ceremonies should be a part of the schedule for visiting tourist (read here).
This woman quietly sits by the roadside in a small and out of the way city in the country of Haiti. She sells scoops of laundry detergent that she places in zip-lock baggies. In Haiti, you won't find grocery stores that sell the necessities of life.
After her customers buy detergent, they will often walk to a nearby creek or river and wash their clothing in a bucket filled with river water. They then pour the water/ soap mix back into the waterway when finished.
Today, I sat and listened to a woman who worked in the sex trade industry and was addicted to crack cocaine. The crack was a way to numb her childhood. This is what she told me - keep in mind, some of the details are graphic...
Read MoreIt has been years since this man has visited the grave of his daughter. With that in mind, he said he needed closure. It was midnight, but that didn't matter to this father who was in pain emotionally. So we took the one hour road trip to visit the grave, not knowing where it was located in the massive Nashville area cemetery. We searched with flash lights, but left two hours later without finding it.
You may be curious as to why this father did not remember where the grave was located considering he was at the funeral in 2008? The reason is because he is completely blind. He has never seen it, only touched it.
We returned several days later when the cemetery office was open and in the daylight. With the help of staff, the grave-site was located and this father was able to say his final goodbyes, something that he had wanted to do for over six years. He kneeled next to the grave on the damp grass and slowly rubbed his fingers over her name tracing it back and fourth. It was an awesome sight.
He left with a smile and a slight tear.
I love Nashville at night, especially downtown. You see so many interesting people. On this evening I saw this man lighting his cigarette. I took a quick picture of him and he looked up and kindly said, "I'm sorry." He thought he was in the way, but in reality I was capturing him.
This is a photo of a man covered in a comforter that someone gave him on the streets of Nashville, TN. In the background, you can see the beautiful Tennessee Capital building.
A friend and I delivered this man a warm bowl of freshly made grits that one of the cooks gave us at Puckett's Grocery. We told the cook that the man needed some warm soup, but they did not have any on hand. He smiled and told us he had something better than soup. I would agree, their grits are amazing. This homeless man also agreed.
Life is beautiful when you take the time to help others. Regardless of how small the task may be.
"Don't give away anything you could sell," he told me as he slowly lowered his cigarette. I quietly snapped the photo and walked away. Advice from the homeless - I should start a book. They often have better and more down to earth advice than the bankers, lawyers and doctors I know.
Life, always interesting to me.
Step right up, let me show you a card trick... Stop me if you have heard that before. I met this man in Nashville, but he told me he is actually from Louisiana. He was just passing through.
“Everyone should be able to do one card trick, tell two jokes, and recite three poems, in case they are ever trapped in an elevator.” ― Lemony Snicket
His name is not Marshall and he does not work for a full service truck company. Someone kindly gave him the jacket. I have shot pictures of this man before in Nashville.
He talks extremely quiet and has no place to call home. He told me once that his family kicked him out.
In May of 2014 I wrote in my notes, "I could see an overwhelming sadness in his eyes as he started to talk about his family and how they left him. He told me he has no one. His story then went from a happy request for beer money, to his life and where he stands today."
"I'm 46... I want to have at least two children when I find the right man," she told me. I asked (while glancing at her boyfriend sitting on a nearby park bench), "Do you think you found the right man?" Her response... "I think so."
The two are homeless and live under a bridge in Tennessee.
This beautiful woman has been homeless for over a year. Most of that time has been spent living behind an old Kroger store that is now an empty shell. Despite hardships, she told me some very positive news. She said she has been clean from Heroin for the past 7-years. She also said that she has been clean from Crack for the past 2-years and free from smoking cigarettes for the past month. I think that is worth celebrating.
He smiled as he stated to me... "Hello Mr. North." I said, "Hi, do you need a blanket for tonight? It is 33-degrees and that leather jacket does not look warm." He responded, "No, I will be alright Mr. North, I'll be alright. I'm gonna sleep right here. Right here Mr. North."
As he spoke he continuously folded a small piece of paper between his fingers switching from the right hand to the left. "Have you done any drugs tonight?" I asked out of concern. "No, no Mr. North - drugs are not good for you. I was told never to do drugs or drink," he said with a smile.
He called me Mr. North because I was wearing a North Face coat. Mental illness is very much alive on the streets and in homeless communities all over our country.
Something you don't expect to hear on a busy street by a passing woman... "I want to spank you." That is exactly what the woman in the hat stated to the man laughing. I happened to catch it as she was finishing her sentence. She suggested that she gets paid to spank people and wanted to just offer a little "Tap, tap." By the way, no one took her up on the offer for the spanking.
When I am doing street photography, I love hearing the magic words "Watch this." This man said those two words and then jumped on top of a trash can. He then jumped back down as his friend reminded him that he has already been arrested six times in the past few days. His response, "But, the police like me."
This woman just told me that her son is at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville and is suffering from an extremely serious illness. This was the look on her face as she described that situation to me.
“I don’t know what they are called, the spaces between seconds– but I think of you always in those intervals.” ― Salvador Plascencia
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Sometimes loneliness makes the loudest noise.” - Aaron Ben-Ze'ev
I met this woman in La Represa, Dominican Republic. She was sitting on her front porch when she heard me walk up. She quickly grabbed a bowl of freshly dried rice and offered me some. It always makes me smile when someone who has little, is fast to offer others a lot.
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ― Mark Twain
This young man was watching a Christmas parade pass by in Murfreesboro, TN. He had a mouth full of candy while watching in hopes of more candy being thrown out.