Head Onis a competition that scouts out the best portraits in photography. Their 2013 prize went to Sydney-based photographer Jonathan May for his picture of a blind African boy named Stanford. As you can see above, it is pretty hard to miss.
May met Stanford in 2011 when visiting a school for blind kids in Kenya. He made the trip after seeing video of some children playing a ball game on tv while at an airport in Nairobi. He was moved by the footage and changed his plans to photograph the children.
While perusing the school grounds with the principal, he met Stanford. The boy is blind and suffers from a skin condition. May said, “As soon as I saw him he stopped me dead. It was such a confronting sight to see this blind boy walking around with a damaged face.” May has taken Stanford to a hospital in Nairobi, however they were unable to provide a conclusive diagnosis.
He snapped the picture of Stanford at an internal refugee camp where the boy lived along with his dog. The photographer said of the image, "“Stanford” shows the strength of humanity. “The image shows resilience and compassion,” May said. “It depicts another side of the human spirit.”
May started a charity based on his experience called "Empowering Blind Youth." Hear more about it here.
[via Artinfo]
