Get Involved with the Photographing Invisible Illness project

Thanks for showing your interest in the project. I’m sorry to hear that you also have a condition that
makes you feel misunderstood. I’ve never been afraid to talk openly about my condition, online at
least, but I know not everyone feels able to do that. I often look for memes and things online that I
can share with friends to help them understand my condition but I’m always left disappointed.

There’s a lot of stuff online that just seems self-pitying, and we really don’t want anyone’s pity! I’m
hoping that with this project we can show our friends and family exactly how our conditions make us
feel in a very visual way. People respond well to powerful images.

As a portrait photographer I’m hoping to represent as many ‘invisible illnesses’ as I can to help raise awareness of conditions that many people don’t understand because they are not always visible. 
What we’ll be looking for is a ‘visual metaphor’, that’s a representation of a thing or idea by means
of a visual image.

​

Someone recently described their condition to me as feeling like they have a head full of spaghetti,
and someone else said they feel like a sack of potatoes! They sound silly but they’re all valid and will
be really useful so don’t hold back.

In order to be photographed you will need to be living as close as possible to Penzance or be willing
and able to travel. At present I have no funding for this project and won’t be able to pay for travel
expenses. I may make exceptions for people that are very unwell and unable to use public transport
so please do ask if this is the case. I may also have the use of a small studio but we can also use the
beaches and lovely locations we have locally as well as your own home if you prefer.

 

It would be great to photograph you doing the thing you love doing most. That could be your work or hobby or something that is particularly challenging for you to do because of your health condition. 
 

OK, so these are the questions I’ve devised to help us find a visual metaphor for your condition.

1. What is your invisible illness? 
2. If your condition was an animal what would it be? 
3. Can you describe your condition in 3 words?
4. In a sentence can you describe how your condition makes you feel PHYSICALLY?

5. In a sentence can you describe how your condition makes you feel EMOTIONALLY?

6. Do you have a job or hobby that would be interesting to photograph?

Are you happy to be photographed and have you image shared on social media and the website? Yes_____ No_____
Would you happy for your first name to be used along with your condition on the finished
photograph? Yes______ No_______

Your details (confidential, between you and me)
Name:___________________
Address (or area in Cornwall is fine):_________________
Email:____________________

Feel free to copy this out and send straight to me in an email or any of my social media portals.

Many Thanks! And I look forward to meeting up with you. This is a long term project so it may be
weeks or months before we take the final photographs so we can all take the pressure off.

 

Rebecca x

​

​

​

​

​

​