Devin’s Mitchell’s Veteran Vision Project, Stacy Pearsall’s The Veterans Portrait Project and Michael Stokes’ Always Loyal are three different series of photographs honoring War Veterans of all types and all ages. Poignant and powerful, each has its own point of view.
Veteran Photo Projects
•The Veteran Vision Project
On August 8th, 2014, student and photographer Devin Mitchell began backpacking/traveling the west coast in search of veteran stories in hopes of illustrating these individuals through the art of pictures. The Veteran Vision Project is a photo documentary, featuring authentic military service members and their lives.
The photo subjects represented are not commissioned models or actors. The people and the artifacts belonging to them as photographed in this project are real. This is currently an independent, privately funded and organized academic photo essay of American military service members through a series of images. The mission is to help veterans heal by providing them with a voice.
You can purchase prints from this series here
The Book:
Now available is a full color, hardbound coffee table book
Veteran Vision Project, Vol. 1 of 2
Veteran Vision Project Volume II on Kickstarter
• The Veterans Portrait Project
Some are smiling. Others gaze at a distant point. All are veterans. The Veterans Portrait Project (VPP) began while Stacy Pearsall recovered from combat injuries sustained in Iraq. Spending hours in VA waiting rooms surrounded by veterans from every generation and branch of service, Pearsall was compelled to honor and thank them in the only way she knows how, photography. The Veterans Portrait Project totals 3,000 veterans and grows daily.
Support the VPP by donating at https://bit.ly/1unnLV4
For more event details, please visit the VPP Blog at https://veteransportraitproject.wordpress.com/
Always Loyal by Michael Stokes
Photographer Michael Stokes’ Always Loyal is dedicated exclusively to wounded United States veterans.
Inspired by a chapter in his 2014 book, “Bare Strength“, which featured wounded amputee Marines, celebrated photographer Michael Stokes has created an entire photographic volume dedicated to U.S. Gulf War veterans. “Always Loyal“, a large-scale, hardcover coffee table book, showcases the beautiful side of wounded soldiers, whose injuries and/or lost limbs are detailed in intimate, exclusive photographs and information that provide a highly unique appreciation for those brave souls who have fought for the United States of America. (since this post was first written, Michael has added a third book to the series, Invictus.)
The goal of fitness photographer Stokes-who, inspired by a shoot with veteran and amputee Alex Minsky, wanted to put a different spin on how wounded veterans were depicted-was to create a book via crowdfunder KickStarter.com. The result of the book is pure art.
More images from Always Loyal shown below.
Buy the book Always Loyal or Michael’s follow up book, Invictus.
Michael has donated over $30,000 from the sales and pre-sales of several of his books to Semper Fi Fund, a charity that benefits veterans of war and their families.
A special thanks to all those who have bravely worked, fought and dedicated themselves to defend this country.
images and information courtesy and copyright of each photographer