This Moving Photography Series Combines Portraits of Prisoners With Letters They Penned to Themselves

We’ve all heard the phrase “hindsight is 20/20.” It’s never been truer or more poignant than in these letters, written by prison inmates to their younger selves.
As part of photographer Trent Bell‘s project called REFLECT: Convicts’ Letters to Their Younger Selves, 12 prisoners at a Maine correctional facility were asked to write letters to themselves, as well as sit for a portrait session. The resulting images — photographs of the inmates’  superimposed with their scrawling handwritten notes — are nothing short of heart-wrenching. From tales of regret to inspired pieces of advice to the realities of life behind bars, these men open up in ways that anyone can appreciate, and their words will make you think hard about your own life.
“In reading most of the letters I found myself feeling surprisingly similar to these men,” Bell told Fast Company. “But I also realized that either their situations were different than mine or that they had made incremental decisions that led them to these situations. The whole experience really made me look at my own life and reflect on why I’m ‘me.’”
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About a year ago, Bell, who is mostly known for his architectural images, was shocked to find out that a close friend of his had been sentenced to 36 years in jail. This friend was a professional, husband and father of four. The man was someone who never thought he would find himself behind bars. For months, Bell says he was haunted by the reality that just one bad decision can change a life forever. He kept thinking that it could have been him. “There were times when my son would look up and smile at me, and the finality of my friend’s situation would rush into my head,” he wrote on his website. From this, the idea of REFLECT was born.
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At first, Bell intended for REFLECT to be solely a photography project, but then he and his team realized that it wouldn’t capture the prisoners’ emotions in the same way. Of all the inmates they approached, only 12 agreed to be included in the project. The final images, which debuted at the Engine Gallery in Biddeford, Maine, in January, are powerful in their simplicity. But really, it’s the inmates’ words that truly move their viewers. “Our bad choices can contain untold loss, remorse, and regret,” Bell says. “But the positive value of these bad choices might be immeasurable if we can face them, admit to them, learn from them and find the strength to share.”
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Thousands of Strangers Made This War Veteran’s 90th Birthday Extra Special

Harold Krueger served as a Marine for 44 years, fighting for the U.S. in three wars — World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He even earned some medals for his service. But his greatest prize of all was his wife, LaVina. Together, the couple of 63 years moved around the country during Krueger’s military service — from San Diego to New Orleans to Port Royal, SC, to Jacksonville, NC — before finally settling in Wishek, ND, in 1986. They were partners, in bridge games and in life. So when LaVina passed away last month at the age of 86, Krueger was devastated. “She was the one I wanted. And I got her,” Krueger told KFYR. “It’s very hard. Yeah, I still miss her very much. I tear up fast.”
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Since LaVina wasn’t able to throw her husband the 90th birthday celebration that she had planned, their daughter, Debra Turner, stepped in with an idea to make the day extra special. She took to Facebook, asking her friends and acquaintances if they would send Krueger a card or letter for his birthday. She included some background about his military services, and of course, about his beloved LaVina. Her post ended up being shared more than 650 times. “All I meant was for him to have a couple letters,” Turner said. But the former mailman received a lot more than that. Every morning, Krueger goes to the post office and pulls out stacks of letters, cards and gifts. He has received more than 1,000 well wishes thus far, from 48 states and Canada, according to Turner’s Facebook post from February 23, two days after his official birthday. And they keep coming.
You can write to Krueger at: Harold Krueger, PO Box 176, Wishek, ND 58495.
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