Visual storytellers Anna and Jordan Rathkopf didn’t set out to make a book, an exhibition, or a lecture series.
When Anna was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer at 37, their shared creative language—photography—became a way to stay connected, grounded, and emotionally present. Nearly a decade later, that body of work has evolved into
HER2: The Diagnosed, The Caregiver and Their Son—a book and traveling exhibition that blends fine art, writing, and lived experience to explore how illness reshapes marriage, identity, and family.
The exhibition opens June 7 at
Photoville Festival in New York City and will travel through Czechia beginning in Fall 2025.
Below, Anna and Jordan reflect on how they shaped the project, how their perspectives stayed distinct, and how it became the first major initiative of their nonprofit, the
Patient Caregiver Artist Coalition (PCAC).
All About Photo: Why did you decide to turn the camera on yourselves—and what kept you coming back to this project over so many years?
Anna: The day after my diagnosis, we both knew we needed to find a way to express what was happening—not just for ourselves, but with each other. We talked openly and agreed to create images together and separately. I was 37, our son was two, and photography was the language we trusted most. It gave us something solid to hold onto when everything else felt like it was falling apart.
Jordan: I needed an outlet for everything I couldn’t say out loud. Photography gave me that, but it also became a kind of escape. Looking through the camera let me step outside the fear, even briefly—as if I was observing instead of being consumed by it. And I think we both needed that feeling of control, even if it was just over a single frame.
Anna’s self-portrait right as her chemotherapy treatments were beginning. She bought a variety of cheap wigs and never wore any of them except for portraits at home. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
As Anna’s hair began to fall out, she decided to take control and shave it off herself. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
Editing was the hardest part. You realize the version you’re telling is just one version of what happened. We had to make choices—what to leave in, what to let go of—and those decisions completely shaped the emotional tone.
Anna: It’s deeply autobiographical, but also crafted. We don’t show everything. Our families were incredibly present and supportive, but the book focuses on our little unit. That wasn’t because others didn’t matter—it was a storytelling decision to keep the emotional focus tight. We wanted it to feel honest, not like a documentary of every moment.
How did your visual styles evolve across the project, and how did they influence each other?
Anna: Mine was always more internal. I used self-portraits a lot, especially early on. It helped me process what was happening to my body.
Jordan: I was more observational. I photographed Anna, and sometimes our son, but also used objects, light, even stillness. Over time, we started weaving our work together and began noticing how those differences revealed what each of us was carrying.
Anna was exhausted for much of her first year of treatment. Jesse would come to her in bed, with his bottle of milk, stuffed animal, and a book for her to read. Even ten years later, at the time of publication of this book, he still lies in bed with Anna when she gets sick and instinctively brings a bottle of water and a book to read. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
Anna feeling exhausted. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
We were living through the same story, but processing it differently. From the beginning, we knew we wanted to preserve both voices. We used diptychs and sequencing to show our perspectives side by side—sometimes in sync, sometimes in tension—without forcing them into a single point of view.
Jordan: The work has roots in documentary, but we approached it more as a post-documentary project. We weren’t just capturing events—we were shaping an emotional narrative. That’s why we brought in writing and poetry, to express what images alone couldn’t. It’s a constructed story, but it’s built from real life. The goal wasn’t to be comprehensive—it was to be emotionally true.
Now that HER2 is out in the world, what do you hope people take from it—and how is it shaping what you want to make next?
Anna: We hope HER2 invites people to think differently about how stories of illness are told—and who gets to tell them. We wanted to create something raw, but thoughtful. Not just about surviving cancer, but about being a parent, a partner, a working person—someone whose identity keeps shifting in the process.
Jordan: For me, it’s also about building something bigger. The book and exhibition became the first major project of a nonprofit I started, the Patient Caregiver Artist Coalition (PCAC). Through it, we’re creating space for artists and collaborators across industries who care about how we support people navigating health challenges. There are so many untold stories—messy, meaningful, and human—and we want to help bring them to light. Whether it’s through exhibitions, mentorship, or creative collaboration, we’re excited to keep pushing this work forward.
Moments before this image was taken, Anna had been crying. She was feeling emotionally and physically exhausted, overwhelmed by everything that was happening in her life. She collected herself and found resiliency deep down. But you can still see the tissue balled up in her hand. Jordan pulled out the camera and tried to capture her emotions, which made her smile a little, later. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
Shadow of Anna, Jesse, and Jordan during a family trip to Arizona. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
Six years after Anna’s diagnosis, Jordan became deeply depressed. He started to see a therapist who recommended writing exercises to work through troubling emotions. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
Jordan’s self-portrait at home, taken throughout his bouts of depression. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
Jordan, Jesse, and the family dog Violet hugging together. Jesse wanted to have a sibling, but due to the fertility loss during Anna’s cancer treatment, it was not possible. Jesse started to call Violet his “dog sister.” © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
Anna and Jesse walking on the beach. © Anna and Jordan Rathkopf from the book HER2 published by Daylight Books.
