The series of photographs in, “Adam’s Cause”, depicts a young man’s journey through his cancer treatment and the support shown from his community. This community that he has been a part of for his twenty years of life came together to show their love and gratitude for a selfless and kind man through the hardest time of his life. The purpose of this photo series is to show hope and to inspire others to reach out and help those in their own community. Through the use of color, background, flow of the images, and other stylistic choices, a clear story is being told about Adam’s tough journey and how support from others makes a huge impact on a person’s life. 

The color, background, and image placement clearly depicts the journey Adam went through and the influence of the people around him. The black and white photographs that forms most of the photo series are a stylistic choice to show the gloom and despair after the diagnosis. When dealing with cancer, nobody is able to know the outcome and how it will affect that person. The black and white shows the uncertainty held by the community and Adam. The final image though is purposely in vibrant colors to express the journey’s end with a positive outcome, because Adam is now cancer free. Another color element used was the title being purple, which is the designated color for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the cancer Adam was fighting. Next, the white background was used to keep focus on the pictures themselves and not to deviate from the story itself. If a different colored background was used or even a patterned background, the focus would have been shifted from the message being told. Lastly, the series of images is chronological; although the three images in the middle of the series where all taken on the same day. The reason for this is to show the real journey that occurred over the six long months and how much Adam had changed from the first image to the last image. 

The series opens with a black and white image of Adam leaning on a guardrail wearing his fire fighter uniform. This image was taken about two months’ prior his diagnosis, but his facial expression already looks serious and somber. This foreshadows to his future battle with cancer, even without knowing it in that moment. Also, the choice of an image of him wearing his uniform proves his selflessness because he is willing to put his life on the line for others safety. The images background is also plain and barren with only a few noticeable items like the guardrail, road, and traffic cone. This draws the focus fully on Adam because if there was a busy background, the focus would be drawn away from the main point. Also, he is sitting centered in the photo to also draw the focus towards him. This image is vital to the photo essay because it shows the initial gloom and sets a stage for the rest of the images.

The second photograph is a banner that reads, “NORTH LAX beats Cancer”, that is held up between two firetrucks. This photo was taken at a fundraiser held by the lacrosse team at Adam’s former high school. They sponsored a game for him to raise awareness and funds. The image is in black and white because this is at the beginning of Adam’s fight, showing how he still has a long road till recovery can be reached. The focus is on the banner in this photo but it is also important to notice the firetrucks use. Adam’s fire squad was there to support him the same way the trucks were there to support the banner’s message. Also, the image shows no matter what age group, profession, relationship with Adam; everyone in the community was there to support him through the journey.

The next image is an aerial view of the high school during the fundraiser. The purpose of the long shot is to demonstrate the amount of support shown. Most of the parking lot is filled with cars, the whole fire squad is posing in front of the firetrucks, and there are people watching the game on the side lines. Another thing to notice is how the firefighters and EMTS are standing. They have their arms held in front with good posture, this stance is typically a sign of respect and is a formal stance. If they were standing relaxed or in a strange stance it could be viewed as disrespectful. The following image is a group of people with wristbands that say, “EMT Adam Hett, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, No One Fights Alone”. The purpose of the picture to only be focused on the hands and not on the people’s faces is to keep the focus strictly on the wristbands to show their importance. Also, by having multiple people’s wrists in the picture further supports the idea of the community’s support. If the image was just the wristband alone, the image would not carry as much meaning. 

The essay concludes in vibrant colors at a graduation ceremony where Adam is wearing his EMT uniform with his siblings who graduated. The reason for the vibrant colors shows the optimism and the final stage of Adam’s cancer journey. Practically every color in the rainbow is present. This contrasts with the prior images to show how the support of a community and the will power of a man can end in a positive way. Also, if you look closely at the boy’s wrist grabbing the cap he is wearing the wristband that was pictured in the previous photo. Now you can see it is the color purple, which once again is the color for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The background is busy which shows how he will always be surrounded by the people in his community and how they are able to celebrate all the positive happenings of life together. 
