It’s not easy to showcase mental illness in photography. Many consider this a trivial subject, but that’s not a reason for us to dismiss it. In fact, it’s reason enough for photographers to challenge themselves to capture better imagery of mental illness. But, how do you capture such a complex subject? How do you capture something that you don’t 100% relate to?
The reason why mental illness is still terribly represented in the digital media to date is most likely due to the stigma that photographers and filmmakers who came before helped amplify. This is not to say they’re to blame or that they did a terrible job. This is to say we need to acknowledge the role that digital media has played in causing this stigma. Then, we need to tell ourselves it’s time to do better. Depression is not always about sadness. Anxiety is not all about social discomfort. It is time to redefine things and produce better photography that ethically represents mental illness.
A Guide to Ethical Visual Representation
Educate Yourself About Mental Health
One of the most important steps to capturing mental illness ethically is to be educated about it. However, this is something a lot of photographers skip. You may be “just taking a photo,” but that photo will have an impact—especially when it’s meant for digital media and the general public.
That said, it won’t hurt if you take a few hours to read articles about, say, OCD, if that’s what your photoshoot is all about. Or, take a few days to chat with real people suffering from various mental illnesses. Know their input about the media’s representation. Know what they want and don’t want, and perhaps what the media often gets wrong.
Facebook groups are super helpful for things like this. The idea here is, before you even grab that camera, you must have a good understanding of the kind of shoot you’re about to walk into.
It’s Okay to Go Abstract
Another great approach is to go abstract. Seriously, don’t be afraid to try new things. There are literally hundreds and thousands of photographers embracing the abstract, and it works for a reason—it’s fresh, it pushes creative boundaries, and it’s less damaging, as it does not stigmatize. Again, you’ll only be able to make an accurate abstract representation of a certain mental illness if you did your homework and read information about it. That way, you know which direction to take your creative energy.
Abstraction is fun and playful. It’s a breath of fresh air. It will spare you from stressing out too much. From wondering whether or not this shot is respectful enough or if that shot is good enough to be uploaded on stock photography sites. Keep in mind that real people experience these mental illnesses. Therefore, even when it’s fun and playful, your approach to abstract photography should still come from a place of respect.
Don’t Just Focus on the Worst Times
This is one of the most common mistakes photographers make. When we say OCD, people immediately go to nail-biting and over-cleaning. When we say bipolar disorder, people immediately go to either extreme happiness or extreme madness. As a photographer, it’s your job to capture mental illness as accurately as possible. While you may just be taking photos, keep in mind that stock photos are used by brands and websites all over the world. Which is to say, your shots will be seen by many. You wouldn’t want to add to the stigma that many are already dealing with.
So, don’t just focus on capturing the bad days. Understand that people with mental illness have good days, too. Let your creativity and eye for the story find these good moments and capture them, as well.
Stay away from the Head-Clutcher
Okay, we’ve mentioned stigma already, but this needs to be highlighted because it’s one of the most common images out there when we say mental illness. Depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar, and many other mental illnesses do not necessarily mean that the person experiencing it is holding their head in their hands and sitting in a dark corner of a room.
It happens, yes. There are those days. But depression, anxiety, and bipolar are so much more than head-clutching. That said, it’s advisable to keep this image away from your shot list. It’s just not healthy.
It’s All About Storytelling
Lastly, keep in mind that capturing mental illness is capturing pretty much like anything else. It’s all about storytelling. It’s all about depicting emotions. The more you communicate with people with mental illness, the more you’ll understand their story. And, the more you’ll know how they feel about the current state of representation of mental wellbeing in the digital world. When doing a photoshoot, keep in mind that your goal is to tell a story, not to take a photo of a sad woman or a man sitting alone with his head down. Put more emphasis on realistic interpretations of these stories.
Discover some of our favorite photos and illustrations depicting mental health in Shutterstock’s Mental Health Collection.
For more guidance on ethical photography, take a look at these articles:
Cover image via insta_photos.
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