Photographer Captures People's Reactions To News That He Has AIDS

Adrian Chesser takes his friends and family on a roller coaster ride of emotion in new series "I Have Something To Tell You."

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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After receiving a life-changing diagnosis, Washington-based photographer Adrian Chesser reached out to his longtime support system: his family, his friends, and his camera. One by one, Chesser sat 46 of his closest confidants down in front of a vibrant red and gold backdrop, revealed that he has AIDS, and snapped a photo. The series of portraits that resulted (in an appropriately titled series “I Have Something To Tell You”) offers a range of emotive reactions, everything from tears to confusion to incredulity. Chesser’s own reactions after being given the news were erratic and intense. He would vacillate between laughing, crying, and catatonic states. But these days, he is feeling healthier and stronger and credits that to the amazing support he’s received: “My friends were very brave and willing to have this very intense experience with me… I am deeply grateful to everyone who was a part of this project,” he told The Huffington Post.

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[via HuffingtonPost]

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