The Lupus Project

Direction, Profoto Lighting Set Up, Photography, Post-Production

Project is directed to create awareness to the autoimmune disease. Use of the color white allows the viewer to reflect on life and death simultaneously. The butterflies were used purposefully to reference the universal symbol of Lupus. The direction was to create an image, using symbolism, to relate to those that have the autoimmune disease and intrigue those that don’t. The positioning of the subject in each image was considered to portray the facets of dealing with a chronic illness. The first photo makes a reference to the butterfly rash one of the symptoms associated with SLE Lupus. It also displays the want to withdraw from society. In the second image, subjects strong positioning is used to make a reference to being a “Lupus Warrior”, someone who fights the disease. The third image shows the subject arms perfectly placed to form unity while the hands oppose each other making a reference to an imbalance.