This stark press photograph documents a solitary moment of survival beneath a highway overpass in Miami in 1978, captured by John Walthers staff photographer for the Miami Herald. Seated on the ground amid makeshift belongings, the man folds inward, his posture shaped by exhaustion, vulnerability, and the constant negotiation of life without shelter. His name is James Hasham, 24 years old. He lives under the expressway with two dingy shirts, a jacket, a pair of pants, one worn out pair of shoes and a copy of the New Testament. "I have everything I need," he says.

The overpass looms above him in hard, repeating concrete lines—an architecture designed for speed and movement, here transformed into an unintended refuge. Such spaces became common shelters in American cities during the late 1970s, as economic dislocation, rising housing costs, reduced mental health services, and unemployment pushed increasing numbers of people into homelessness.

The image was produced as an oversize newspaper press photograph, intended for editorial use. The verso bears newsroom markings, including a handwritten term now recognized as outdated and dehumanizing. Preserved here for archival accuracy, that language reflects prevailing attitudes of the period rather than the intent of the photographer or the dignity of the subject.

Walther’s photograph does not sensationalize. Instead, it records stillness: hands clasped, head lowered, the human body framed against the immensity of infrastructure. It is a quiet but forceful reminder that modern cities often conceal profound human suffering beneath the pathways of everyday life.

Today, the photograph stands as an unflinching document of urban poverty in late-20th-century America - a testament to those who endured invisibly, living beneath the structures built to carry others forward.

David Walters was not simply a Herald staff photographer — he was a highly respected, award-winning photojournalist whose career spanned major geopolitical events, natural disasters, and cultural shifts. His work was recognized at the highest levels — including a Pulitzer Prize finalist distinction - and he later shaped newsroom photography as an editor.

In addition to the Pulitzer recognition, his photography earned awards from:

• NPPA Pictures of the Year

• Overseas Press Club

• Inter-American Press Association

• Green Eyeshade awards

• Southern Short Course

• Society for News Design (SND)

– among others.