Broken Light: A Photography Collective
We are photographers living with or affected by mental illness; supporting each other one photograph at a time. Join our community, submit today!
Photo taken by first-time contributor Taylor McAvoy, a freelance photographer in Washington state who recently graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a degree in journalism. At 23 years old, she has struggled with anxiety and depression for all of her adult life. She seeks to find meaning in the fear she faces... Continue Reading →
Photo taken by Sabrina, a photographer based in Toronto, Canada. Sabrina has struggled with depression for over ten years. Six years of denial and another four years of antidepressants, social isolation, and relationship challenges. It wasn't until she realized anxiety as a major factor that she managed to start properly dealing with the issues. It's... Continue Reading →
Photos by contributor Patrycja Marciniak, a 24-year-old graphic designer, artist, and photographer from Poland who has struggled with depression, anxiety, and dermatillomania, the urge to scratch and pick at one’s skin. About these photos: “A weird and disturbing trend has occured recently on social media - people who think that depression is something glamorous, tragically beautiful, desirable, a condition to boast... Continue Reading →
Photo taken by contributor Livonne, a 55-year-old woman who lives in the Blue Mountains of Australia. Livonne was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder over 20 years ago following a troubled childhood, a violent marriage, and the tragic death of her 10-year-old daughter on an access visit. She eventually found herself unable to work full time and at... Continue Reading →
Please welcome first-time contributor Patrycja Marciniak, a 24-year-old graphic designer, artist, and photographer from Poland who has struggled with depression, anxiety, and dermatillomania, the urge to scratch and pick at one's skin. About this photo: “Since my teen years, I've struggled with an intense skin picking disorder. This problem is not widely known - even by dermatologists - and is often... Continue Reading →
Photo taken by contributor Jaeda DeWalt, a conceptual self-portrait artist in her forties from Seattle, Washington. Her battles with mental illness hearken back to her earliest memories, at age four, when she became obsessed with the number four and performed exhaustive rituals in patterns of four. During her teen years, she began noticing extreme mood swings, manic one moment and depressed the next, and... Continue Reading →
Please welcome first-time contributor Shannon Kane, a 20-year-old photography undergraduate currently in the second year of her degree at the University of Hertfordshire. Shannon was first diagnosed with anxiety at the age of 12, when she was ordered out of school for six months. Shortly after, she dropped out of school for good as she dealt with her depression,... Continue Reading →
Please welcome first-time contributor John Holt, a 35-year-old man who suffers from a personalty disorder, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. After spending some time in prison, he feels like he has finally gotten control over his mind through medication and his Olympus omd-10 camera. Photography helps him feel better because he can forgot the world around him.... Continue Reading →
Please welcome first-time contributor Janine, a woman who has struggled with depression for nearly ten years. She has found it difficult to engage with others, especially in social situations, and has been afraid of what others will think and say. Janine is now dealing with her depression in a positive way by putting together a short 'day in the... Continue Reading →
Please welcome first-time contributor Annabella, a 22-year-old photographer based in the North West of England. Annabella has suffered from OCD and anxiety, and she uses her practice to demonstrate the emotions that go along with living with mental health challenges. When creating imagery she is highly influenced by states of mind, and the stigma attached to mental health. Annabella uses everyday... Continue Reading →
Photo taken by contributor Keith, a photographer who has struggled with depression. Keith has spent the last year working on a 365 project, sharing one photo per day for 365 days. Through working on this project he has come to accept and understand his struggles with depression. For a long time he believed his mood swings and inability to connect with others... Continue Reading →
Photo taken by contributor Joshua R Beharry, a 29-year-old from Vancouver, British Columbia, who has suffered from depression. Since recovering from a severe bout of depression in 2010, Josh has become a passionate advocate for mental health. He is currently the project coordinator for HeadsUpGuys, a website targeting men’s depression, and writes about his own recovery at Mental Health Point... Continue Reading →
Photo taken by contributor Keith, a photographer who has struggled with depression. Keith has spent the last year working on a 365 project, sharing one photo per day for 365 days. Through working on this project he has come to accept and understand his struggles with depression. For a long time he believed his mood swings and inability to connect with others... Continue Reading →
Photo taken by contributor David Ocampo, a graphic designer, musician and photographer in his twenties from Mexico. David began feeling depressed at a young age. He has survived two suicide attempts, and continues to battle depression. The only times when he doesn’t feel the pressure and sadness are when he is creating art and taking photographs. About this photo: “This is an image from... Continue Reading →
