2nd Place Winner / People: Documentary
BACK TO GALLERYprev
next
The Living Death
The Living Death
I have had a chronic illness called ME/CFS for 17 years. It has gradually become more and more severe. In 2010 I became housebound and in 2013 I became bedridden.
In 2010 I could no longer make photographs because I could not walk far enough. But I soon had a breakthrough. I realized that my story of living with such a severe chronic illness for which there was no cure was the exact kind of story I would be inspired to photograph and show the world if I was healthy, and that I could photograph myself. So I started making images of myself expressing things I did or felt everyday. I never thought of these images as self portraits. I started making them as a photographer who finally gained access to a great subject. I call them "documentary photographs of myself".
Please visit this link to read a full explanation of this project as well as some information about ME/CFS and why it is such an important story:
www.whitneydafoe.com/mecfs/the_living_death_description
Author
I have been in love with photography ever since I took a darkroom class in high school in 1998. But I have always been driven by a strong vision and sense of purpose behind the act of creation. I have been to all 50 states photographing and exploring (not intentionally, it just happened), and I have travelled to many countries world wide without my camera to learn and experience.
I don't think of myself as any one kind of photographer, I like being open to the subject and exploring new ways of framing and communicating. I strive to make honest images that inform and inspire. As Leonard Cohen said, I'm "just a kid with a crazy dream".
Website
https://www.whitneydafoe.com