The series of photographs in the untitled piece by Hannah Doherty are tightly focused on one woman as she battles cancer. From the beginning, the piece captures the attention of the audience by jumping straight into the photographs and allowing the images to create a theme for themselves instead of confining them by a title. Each picture highlights a mothers smiling face amidst the confusion and pain surrounding her, and in each photo her smile carries a slightly different meaning. While most photo essays regarding cancer patients tend to focus on the community supporting the patient, this photo essay highlights the resilience of the woman herself and how she tackled the trials of her year. Throughout the series the woman alone proves that cancer couldn’t beat her if she beat cancer. While the photos may show her deteriorating physically, her body language exposes the true mettle she obtained. The woman’s fortitude projects a theme of hope towards anyone facing an insurmountable trial. 

The first photograph depicts a husband and wife sitting closely together on New Years Eve. The background is dark and sparse and the husband seems cheerful while the wife has her arms crossed and her smile is seemingly more forced. Her “Happy New Year!” hat is crowning the hair that would eventually be taken by the grueling, relentless treatment. The hat is particularly ironic because the term “Happy New Year” generally exudes optimism and futile resolutions while she worries if the next year will bring any happiness at all. Her body language suggests discomfort and her eyes seem sad in contrast to her husbands, but the most symbolic and notable part of the image is its clarity. The image is extremely blurry, which at first could almost be disregarded as poor camera work, but upon closer inspection it visualizes the confusion, shock, and fear the woman felt as she prepared for her fight against cancer.

The second photograph immediately transitions into a clinical area, a great contrast to the comfort of her home, where the woman is surrounded by blankets, books, coffee, and laughter as she works up the courage to undergo her first treatment. The concern that rests upon her face, however, proves that no amount of preparation could prepare her for what is to come. Her eyebrows are slightly raised to suggest how apprehensive she is about this upcoming battle, but as she symbolically raises her arms to flex her biceps she proves she is not willing to back down from the fight. This photo is significantly clearer and brighter than the previous because at this point the woman finally has a plan of action, and she knows that this is a war she can win. This moment closely resembles the story of David and Goliath, only this woman is fighting a foe within herself- something much easier to be afraid of. While David was certainly afraid of his overpowering opponent, his hope and faith allowed him to conquer the giant, similarly the woman is placing her hope and trust in the nurse administering her first round of chemotherapy. 

The following two photographs show two major milestones in her treatment, the first being her first appearance wearing a wig in the series and the second being the full effects of chemotherapy. In the third photo her husbands silhouette is reflected above her as he takes her picture. As a woman, losing her hair and her femininity was one of the hardest steps in the process of her recovery, and her husband being there to look over her and affirm her beauty, gave her the ability to smile a little brighter that day. In the fourth photo the woman’s skin is significantly more discolored and it becomes evident that she has almost lost her hair completely because she no longer has eyelashes. Her smile is much more forced than any other photo, and her eyes hang heavily as she fights the exhaustion her treatments have bought upon her. The fourth photo is where the woman reaches her lowermost point and reaches a turning point in the series. The significance of the most damning photograph being the one to kick start a dramatic improvement clarifies the resilience of the woman in the height of her battle.

In the fifth photograph, she is taking a selfie of her treatment. The number of treatments have surpassed the number of fingers on her hands so she opted for a ‘thumbs up’ instead to symbolize that things were finally looking up. In this image its clear that she has lost all of her hair, but is no longer insecure about being a cancer patient. This is the first photograph she is seen in without her wearing a wig or a jacket, and the only photo in the series that she has taken of herself. The significance of her ‘selfie’ is to show just how confident and empowered she has become though her journey, her eyes are brighter and she seems infinitely stronger than in the previous photo. The vibrancy of the red head scarf adds to this air of confidence because it calls more attention to her than a dark head covering would. She has finally embraced her recovery and the cards she has been dealt.

The final two photos show her hair growing back, and are the first photos outside of the hospital since the opening image. In the first of the two she is gleaming, surrounded by pink roses and wearing a pink jacket. She looks incredibly healthy and happy in comparison to all previous photographs, and the pink symbolizes her support for breast cancer survivors such as herself. This is also the first image where one can see her hair growing back. In the final image the audience is brought back to New Years Eve, and her primary support structure is revealed; her family. They all appear to be huddled around the fireplace, taking in the love and warmth radiating from one another. Her husband is wearing the exact same outfit from the year before and remains with an even more joyful disposition, her children are closer together and everyone has an authentic smile on their face because this is truly a time to celebrate. A “Happy New Year!” hat was no longer a necessary prop because the family could rest assured that this year would bring much more joy as the fear cancer was no longer looming over them.

The untitled photo series depicts the journey of a woman over the course of a year. In every photograph she is significantly changed on the outside which allows the audience to presume the incredible changes being made on the inside. With the overall theme of the piece being change and journey the audience can further appreciate the strides they have made in his/her own life.
