The series of photographs in, Adam’s Cause, depict a young man’s journey through his cancer treatment and the support shown from his community. The community that he has been a member of for his twenty years of life came together to show their love and gratitude for a selfless and kind young 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 positive impact on a person’s life. 

The black and white photographs that form most of the photo series are a stylistic choice to show the gloom and despair after Adams initial diagnosis. When dealing with cancer, nobody knows what the outcome will be and how it will affect that person. The black and white shows the uncertainty held by Adam and the supporting community. The final image, however, is deliberately presented in vibrant colors to express the journey’s positive outcome, as Adam is now cancer free. Bright and cheerful colors are associated with happiness, which is an emotion everyone felt after the news. Purple was another color element deliberately chosen for the title, as this is the designated color for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the cancer Adam was fighting.

The white background was chosen to focus attention upon the pictures themselves. Use of a different colored or patterned background would have shifted the focus away from the people in the photos and the message being told. Also, the color white signifies goodness and purity, signifying the hope of Adam once again becoming healthy and pure. Also, the placement of the photos are in chronological order; even though the three images in the middle of the series were 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 firefighter uniform. This image was taken about two months prior to his diagnosis, but his facial expression already looks serious and somber. This foreshadows his upcoming battle with cancer, even without knowing it in that moment. Also, the choice of an image of him wearing his uniform highlights his selflessness as he is willing to put his life on the line for other’s safety. The image’s 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, the main focal point of the image. Also, he is sitting centered in the photo to draw attention to him. This image is vital to the photo essay as it shows the initial gloom and sets the stage for the following images.

The second photograph shows 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. The team sponsored the game to help raise awareness to cancer and help raise funds for his treatments. The image is in black and white as this is at the beginning of Adam’s fight, showing how he still has a long road till recovery. The word “Cancer” is purposely in lowercase to emphasize the capital letters of “NORTH LAX”. This shows team pride in that they are able to support a good cause for a fellow student. They do not want the focus to be on the word cancer, but instead on the team’s support for Adam’s cause. The focus is on the banner in this photo but it is also important to notice the use of the firetrucks.  Adam’s entire fire squad, as well as fellow students, were there to support him the same way the trucks were there to support the banner’s message. Also, the image shows a diverse group of support for Adam; everyone in the community was there to support him through his difficult 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 numerous 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 proper posture, a formal stance that is typically a sign of honor and respect. If they were standing relaxed or in a casual stance it could be viewed as disrespectful. The following image is a group of people with wristbands that say, “FF/EMT Adam Hett, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, No One Fights Alone.” A fellow selfless firefighter created these wristbands to help raise funds for Adam’s treatment.  By purposely focusing this picture on the hands and not on the people’s faces highlights the importance of the wristbands.    By having multiple people’s wrists in the picture further supports the depth of the community’s support.  Having an image of just the wristband alone would not have as much meaning as this image with multiple supporting hands. 

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 fashion. Also, the boy grabbing the cap is wearing the wristband that was pictured in the previous photo. The color could not be seen in the previous pictures but the wristband is purple, the support color for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The background is busy which signifies how he will always be surrounded by the extremely supportive people in his community and how they will be able to continue to celebrate all the positive occurrences of life together. 
