Damon has been addicted to heroin for seven years.
In hopes of ending the cycle that slowly eats away at him, he pleaded up to a first-degree felony so he could stay in prison longer than the state asked, for his drug distribution charges. After several attempts to get clean, it was the only way he could think of to get away from the drug.
I spent time with Damon before he went to prison, back in January, and visited him a few times in Gunnison, where he currently serves his sentence. He’s gained upward of 30 pounds and looks healthy again — healthy enough for me to hardly recognize him when I saw him again for the first time back in April.
As I got to know him, the importance of his drug addiction faded behind a much broader impact of heroin on his life in general. All the lonely days in his dad’s basement. His inability to connect to friends and family. His withdrawal from a world he very much wants to be a part of and his desperate and unsuccessful attempts at escaping the drug. And through getting to know him my goal to show an addict’s life became a desire to show Damon’s life, with the addiction that’s wrecking him being a large part of it. A part of a lot more things I felt and saw when I spent time with him.

While the photos are ok, I think the video in this case tells his story best, so take a lookies. Also, the story in my opinion got terrible play in our paper, so I don’t have a pdf to show.

Video is here.
I also wrote the story, which is here.
More stills are on the blog.

July 27 marks the last day fireworks can be legally discharged, meaning it is also the last day they can be photographed. Here is my best catch from the season.

While saying farewell to Beth and Ramin.

More on the blog.