Mental Health Awareness Month

The photo above was a brief moment caught between shots during a photography session. Although in reality the model was just waiting patiently for me to set-up for the next take, she had previously confessed briefly to me about some of her mental health struggles. When I saw her do this with her body while I was setting up, I couldn’t help but to think about what she had confided in me earlier that night, and so I quietly captured this image.

My model didn’t talk as if her mental health issues were bothering her at the moment, and I’m very sure they weren’t, but I could sense that it was very important for me to take in. After having dealt with my own stuff at one point in my life, I’m now a big proponent of opening up to people - as difficult as it is - and it is equally important to listen to what others are opening up to us about as well.

It just so happens to be Mental Health Awareness Month, and it pains me to see others struggle, so even though we can’t always offer others advice and we shouldn’t try to be therapists, the act of listening to them and being present with them, more often than not, can be enough. Things that seem mundane can mean the world for someone and can help ourselves in the process as well.