Photographer lends lens to fight against cancer

A Plantation fashion photographer is on a mission to use her talent for a good cause.

Mariya Wai of Mariya Wai Photography has teamed up with the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation for a special project that will help support the organization’s fundraising and awareness campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Known as “Fashion for Cure,” the project will have Wai photograph eight survivors who are either currently battling breast cancer or that have otherwise overcome the disease after completing treatments.

According to Cathy Cruz, manager of marketing communications, individuals facing breast cancer are defined as survivors from the point of diagnosis, as it is the process of living with, through and beyond cancer. Cruz hopes photographing women going through various stages of the process will help expose the realities they face.

“I think that it’s important to show the strength and the courage that goes into what these women are going through,” Cruz said. “Life happens around you, and a lot of these women just show a positive outlook and they keep smiling through it and they keep fighting through it.”

Wai came up with the idea for the photo series because she was looking to do something charitable for the community through her passion for photography. Although she has been fortunate enough to not be diagnosed, the cause hit close to home, as one of her good friends is a survivor.

“I just cannot imagine when you have something like this, what goes through your mind,” said Wai. “I just want to combine my work with something good and show the people that here they are; they’re strong women.”

Wai is originally a fashion photographer, having previously spent several years in front of the camera as a model. She now regularly shoots for agencies but also works with other clients. She said one of the most rewarding moments from her work is being able to help instill a sense of confidence in her subjects, something she hopes to do with the survivors. She is especially fond of shoots with people that believe they’re not photogenic, as those are like a blank canvas for her that ultimately come out wonderful.

The project is currently seeking eight breast cancer survivors interested in participating. Individuals must reside in South Florida, give consent to be photographed, and be willing to share their story in addition to being interviewed by press or media.

“I just want to give them a little bit of a glam experience,” Wai said. “Once we feel pretty, we can do magic for everyone else.”

Individuals interested in participating can submit an application at FashionForCure.com. Deadline for submission is Sept. 25.