I Took Pictures Of My Friend Grieving A Lost Relationship

Two perspectives on images of grief.

The perspective of the photographer Autumn Christine:

This photo series is focused on mental health, the first set of photos centered around male grief – a subject not often documented. The subject in these photos is a close friend & fellow photographer Steven Wieckowski, who is struggling with the end of a 7-year relationship.

Steven & I created the concept for this series during a discussion about his recent break-up & his feelings about it.

While it was a collaborative project, as the photographer, I felt intrusive & detached as I watched & listened to a friend share his hurt while I captured those moments on camera.

The main goal of this project is to break the stigma surrounding male emotion; breaking down the idea that expressing vulnerability & grief rather than anger & rage, is inherently feminine.

My goal, from the perspective of a woman, an empath, & the photographer, is to focus on the vulnerability; almost intrusively, on the facial expressions of a person who is grieving rather, than the body language of a person who still feels defensive.

The perspective of the subject Steven Wieckowski:

This photo series focuses on male grieving & vulnerability. For weeks, I have been struggling to come to terms with the end of a relationship. I shared with Autumn what I had been going through and told her about a photographer who dealt with his grief of a lost relationship through self-portraits. Autumn knew of another photographer who took self-portraits & selfies whenever she cried. The two ideas came together to form an exploration of male grieving.

These images focus on the healing & emotional growth that men can access by expression rather than repression. When men are depicted crying, it’s often due to a tragedy or trauma (think men in battle or men in the midst of some struggle). These images are of me in the midst of mourning a lost relationship. A woman who I loved. A connection that had been cut.

Then ultimately it is about a man creating the closure he needs simply through crying it out and letting it go.

Below are images captured by Autumn Christine; however, they are edited by both Autumn Christine & Steven Wieckowski to show the differences in perspectives- an outsider intruding & the griever.