Useful Photography No. 3

Their faces peer out from milk cartons, xeroxes taped to lampposts, small newspaper ads, and flyers sent bulk in the mail. They are people you have never met, people you probably will never meet--but should you happen to come across them, this image is the only visual clue you will have with which to recognize them. They are missing persons. Useful Photography No. 3 presents a series of photographs used to search for persons who have gone missing in the United Kingdom. Some are snapshots or studio portraits, others are passport photos, and often they are the last photos taken of their subject. Their significance and power shifted and grew exponentially when the person they represent disappeared, leaving behind only traces on light sensitive paper. This issue of Useful Photography was completed with the full support of www.missingpersons.org, in the hopes that, perhaps, some of the missing can still be found.