Title page: Finding a vein is a constant endeavour, and lovers help each other
It is painful to see IV injections that you know may be the last
I have seen a lot of drugs around me; growing up in 1970's London took care of that. I lost several good friends due to heroin overdoses so I knew what drugs can do. And here in Toronto, over a quarter of a century later, I saw the same: people who are at their basis good, nice, talented, intelligent people but who got themselves into a really bad situation. And because I do not judge. I can befriend people with no threat. And that leads to documentary photography. In a strange sense, I felt at home doing IV. I felt the subjects' pain. And I wanted to document that, and the complexity.
"IV" has so far been exhibited twice, once as part of "Contact" in 2009, and more recently at The Kodiak Gallery, in Toronto's Distillery District. It has been featured on CBC Radio's "Big City, Small World" and on "Metro Morning". I also made it into a book. Quite dramatic, and a happy story in the end.
The shots are very personal, since the subjects became friends. And it is hard to see friends spiral downward. I shot "IV"over the course of less than a year.
I came across the couple pictured here in a model shoot. I noticed needle tracks and knew instantly what they meant. Since I am middle-aged, non-judgmental and familiar with the environment, I was able to immerse myself into the environment and document it over time.
Nor would I have had to look hard: drugs are everywhere.