Anna and Jordan Rathkopf’s HER2 Project Will Change How You View Illness and Resilience
Welcome to this edition of [book spotlight]. Today, we uncover the layers of 'HER2,' by Anna and Jordan Rathkopf (published by Daylight Books). We'd love to read your comments below about these insights and ideas behind the artist's work.
What if the best way to face illness is through a lens?
When Anna Rathkopf was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37, life became a storm of appointments, treatments, and uncertainty. Instead of letting it overwhelm them, Anna and her husband Jordan picked up their cameras. They didn’t set out to create a polished story—they wanted to survive, to hold on to what was slipping away. What they captured became HER2, a raw and honest look at how illness changes everything for the person diagnosed and everyone around them.
Most cancer stories focus on survival—HER2 is about living.
Their project, HER2, doesn’t shy away from the hard truths. It’s about the quiet moments: a child’s laughter in the middle of chaos, the exhaustion of caregiving, and the fragile strength that comes from facing the unknown together.
HER2 captures what words fail to describe about cancer.
HER2: The Diagnosed, The Caregiver, and Their Son
In HER2: The Diagnosed, The Caregiver, and Their Son, photographers Anna and Jordan Rathkopf invite readers into their deeply personal journey through Anna’s battle with an aggressive breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 37. The book, published by Daylight Books in Fall 2024, is an unflinching exploration of how illness impacts every corner of life—parenting, marriage, identity, and resilience.
Through intimate and evocative photographs, HER2 tells their story from two perspectives: Anna, as the diagnosed patient navigating vulnerability and strength, and Jordan, as the caregiver grappling with love, fear, and emotional isolation. Together with their young son, Jesse, they document moments from home, hospital rooms, and daily life, capturing the raw reality of survivorship: a blend of grief, joy, resilience, and connection.
The images, accompanied by essays from both Anna and Jordan, offer a unique and authentic narrative that moves beyond traditional portrayals of illness. Instead, the Rathkopfs show how life continues amidst chaos—messy, imperfect, yet profoundly human. Their work resonates universally, reflecting not just the trauma of illness but also the strength that binds families together.
HER2 has received critical acclaim, earning the 2024 Photographic Achievement Award from the International Photographic Council at the United Nations. (Daylight books, Amazon)
Overview of the Project: What motivated you to turn the camera on yourselves and your family to document your journey through Anna's cancer diagnosis and treatment?
Anna: The camera became my anchor and my friend that I carried with me everyday. When life fractured, it let me hold on to pieces of myself that felt like they were slipping away. It wasn't about making sense of it all—at least not at first. It was about survival.
Jordan: For me, the camera was about bearing witness. When you feel powerless, you grab at anything to hold on to. Photographing our lives became a way to say, “This matters. We matter.”
Artistic Vision and Approach: How did you approach capturing both the deeply personal and universal aspects of illness, caregiving, and family life in your photographs?
Anna: We didn't try to make something universal; we photographed what was real. The specific details— the way light fell across a hospital chair, Jesse laughing in the middle of the chaos-spoke louder than any grand statement.
Jordan: What we found is that those small, honest details resonate far beyond us. A shadow, a glance, a quiet moment-those fragments tell stories that don't need words.
Storytelling in Photography: Your project blends intimate, raw moments with broader themes of survivorship and resilience. How do you use visual storytelling to convey the complexities of these experiences?
Anna: Cancer doesn't strip life of its contradictions; it amplifies them. We captured the laughter that happened between the tears, the love that coexisted with fear. Those contradictions told the story.
Jordan: The images talk to each other. A photo of Anna's hand gripping the hospital bed answers one of Jesse running free in the yard. The rhythm of the photos mirrors the rhythm of our lives-disjointed, raw, unresolved.
Challenges and Perseverance: Documenting your lives during such a challenging time must have been emotionally demanding. What were the biggest obstacles you faced, and how did you work through them?
Anna: Seeing myself through the camera was a challenge. It made me confront the fear, the exhaustion, the changes in my body. But over time, it also gave me a way to see my strength. Some days, taking one photo felt like reclaiming a piece of myself.
Jordan: Photographing felt instinctive. Putting the book together was harder. Revisiting those moments while trying to make sense of them in a sequence was like opening a wound I didn't know was still there. But in that pain, I found clarity-it was a way to process, to make something whole out of all the fragments.
Role of the Photographers: As a husband-and-wife photography team, how did you balance your roles as creators and participants in the story you were telling?
Anna: There wasn't a set balance. Some days I needed to step back and just be the subject; other days, I needed to hold the camera and make sense of things from behind the lens.
Jordan: The camera wasn't just a tool— it was a translator. It helped us see each other more clearly, to witness what the other was going through in a way words couldn't.
Connection with the Audience: The project invites viewers into your personal journey. What do you hope people take away from HER2 about survivorship, family, and vulnerability?
Anna: That vulnerability isn't this polished, Instagram-perfect idea. It's messy and raw, and that's what makes it powerful. I hope people see themselves in the mess, and I hope they feel less alone.
Jordan: Illness affects everyone it touches, not just the person diagnosed. HER2 isn't just about Anna or me-it's about how we navigate love and resilience in the face of something that threatens to take everything away.
Technical and Creative Tips: Many of your images capture fleeting, emotionally charged moments. What advice would you give photographers seeking to document their own lives authentically?
Anna: Don't wait for the "big" moment. It's the small, unguarded ones that hold the most truth. Let the camera follow what feels real.
Jordan: Embrace imperfection. Some of our most honest photos are blurry or slightly off-center, but they're full of emotion. Trust that the imperfections tell a deeper story.
Photography as a Healing Tool: How did creating HER2 help you process the emotional toll of Anna's diagnosis and treatment as well as the impact on your family dynamics?
Anna: It made me look at myself, even when I didn't want to. At first, it was hard to see the changes-bald, tired, scared. But then I started to see my strength, my resilience. The camera didn't just show me what l'd lost; it showed me what I still had.
Jordan: It kept me from shutting down. I tend to retreat when I'm overwhelmed, but the act of photographing forced me to stay engaged. It gave me a way to turn fear into something tangible, something meaningful.
Advice for Aspiring Photographers: For those aiming to document deeply personal and transformative experiences, what lessons from your journey would you share to inspire their creative process?
Anna: Be gentle with yourself. Some moments are too raw to capture, and that's okay. Give yourself the space to decide what to hold close and what to share.
Jordan: Let the work remain unfinished. Not everything needs to have a resolution. It's the loose ends, the unanswered questions, that often hold the most meaning.
To discover more about this intriguing body of work and how you can acquire your own copy, you can find and purchase the book here. (Daylight books, Amazon)
More photography books?
We'd love to read your comments below, sharing your thoughts and insights on the artist's work. Looking forward to welcoming you back for our next [book spotlight]. See you then!
