breast cancer portraits

As a portrait photographer I intimately understand the relationship between body image and confidence, especially among women. So often I photograph ladies through my boudoir photography service who cannot believe they would ever look good in a photograph and to see that transformation when they are proved wrong is a huge boost both to me and to them.

 

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and went through a year's worth of major, painful, disfiguring but, perhaps, ultimately life saving surgery. My emotional wounds took much longer to heal than the physical ones and I was shocked at how the experience affected my body image, self-esteem and feelings of worthiness as a woman. I realised that if I felt this way about myself having been through breast cancer treatment, that there were undoubtedly other ladies feeling the same and I set about finding a way to help these ladies at a time when they are feeling most vulnerable, such as I was.

 

A few brave ladies I’d met on breast cancer support networks agreed to step in front of my camera to see if I could help transform the way they saw themselves.The images we create together are not designed to ‘celebrate the scars’ but more to suggest that our scars do not define us; that through the power of sensitive portraiture we can see beyond our them and use the experience as part of the healing process. I was thrilled to have been awarded the 'Inspirational Woman' award at the Women Inspiring Women Awards for my breast cancer work and I really try to live up to everything the award stands for by making a real difference for these ladies.

 

I now regularly photograph breast cancer ladies at various stages of their treatment, free of charge, to help them ‘get back to being me’, albeit a new version. They come from far & wide and each has a heartbreaking experience of how this disease has robbed them of their femininity, desirability and confidence. If you are one of these ladies and could do with a boost to your self-esteem (who doesn't?!) then please please get in touch, I'd love to help you on your road to emotional recovery from this horrid disease.

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