If Only for a Second

The world of social media comes yet again to a  blog post, this one I couldn't have let pass......

Social media sites and  news groups this month have had a proliferation of posts over a project commissioned by the Mimi Foundation in collaboration with Leo Burnett and photographer Vincent Dixon.

The aim of the project was to give 20 cancer patients an extreme makeover, to take them away from the daily reminders of their disease, and produce a wonderful story and set of memories for both the patients and their friends and family.

During the makeover their eyes were kept firmly shut so that they could not see how they were being transformed. Once complete they were sat in front of a one-way mirror. Behind the mirror Vincent Dixon sat with a camera recording the moments when the patients saw for this first time their new look.

Accompanied by a short video these images reveal something endearing, something wonderful and something positive; they really do capture this brief moment in time of jubilation when their worries are eased for Just Once Moment in Time.....

These images were released to the patients, friends and families on the 7th November 2013 at a private exhibition. The 20 images collected have also been published in a book with all proceeds going to the Mimi Foundation for Well-Being Centres for Cancer Patients. The book is available online and can be ordered here

From a photographic perspective the concept is not that unique in placing people in certain circumstances to obtain an expression or reaction. For example Olena Slyesarenko photographed here subjects under water with amazing results from a project entitled 'Pickled'in 2008. The aim was to restrict the expressions the subjects could make but surprisingly they still managed to express themselves. Images can be seen here

Likewise Jamie Sinclair's project 'Constricted Reality' captured images of people hanging upside down whilst holding their breath, again to trying to remove as much control as possible. Images can be seen here

Whilst these examples are aimed at restricting emotion Dixon's images are a release of emotion that literally floods out, and given the background of each individual, enables the viewer to share in this brief moment of time the jubilation and warmth of character. There are truly beautiful images that capture so much more........

Here are a couple of examples.... the video can also be seen here