Cancer Heroes

Last week, I photographed a fashion show to benefit breast cancer survivors. It was nearly a year to the day that someone close to me had survived cancer surgery. As I watched the survivors revel in their beauty, I imagined my own loved one among the courageous women.

I know, I'm not supposed to get personally invested while on assignment for a newspaper, but this one did hit home. While there, I kept my experiences to myself, of course, but I was extra motivated to work hard to capture the sheer joy exuding from the survivors.

These weren't professional models; they were survivors who had been helped by this organization and wanted to help raise funds to help other survivors. In the image above, I'm not sure if I'm drawn in more by the smile of the woman modeling, or by the admiration on the faces in the audience. I sure like this kind of assignment.