Daniel Regan

Photographer Daniel Regan's long-term project aims to raise awareness about Alopecia through a series of arresting portraits.

Alopecia can affect men, women and children of any age and lead to partial or total hair loss. The appearance altering condition affects more than one million people in the UK, but little is known about the exact causes of it. Although it is not damaging to physical health, Alopecia can have destructive effects on a person's confidence and self-esteem and there is currently no known cure. Some alopecia sufferers wear wigs, fake eyebrows, make-up or use eyebrow tattoos, but Daniel's images illustrate how bald really is beautiful.

A group of 10 brave women, men and children stepped in front of the camera for the series of stunning, intimate black and white photographs, which capture the different stages of alopecia — from patches to total baldness. Daniel has been backed by Alopecia UK, a charity set up to provide help and support to people who suffer from hair loss. He said: "I wanted to challenge the traditional images portrayed surrounding body image in today's society and at the same time empower people with Alopecia."

"I want to promote dignity and respect for people who don't conform to what is perceived as 'the norm' and challenge social expectations. I found it incredibly interesting to get to know these people as each one had a different story to tell about how alopecia has affected them.

Daniel is a widely exhibited and published photographer based in London.

www.danielregan.com

Agata Cardoso

Fine artist Agata Cardoso's work primarily focuses on the female form and her subject matter lies within the many complexities of the female body and identity. Her exhibited project focuses on portraits of women affected by breast cancer.

Discussing the project, Agata says: "My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006; two weeks later she underwent a double mastectomy. She had decided that she'd rather live without her breasts and survive, than live with them and die. Although two of my aunts had previously had breast cancer, I'd never of thought that cancer would affect me or my closest family. Supporting my mother through breast cancer, I realised that cancer doesn't mean death, as I had previously thought. My mother was the first woman I had photographed, and ever since then, I have created a series of portraits of women who have recovered from breast cancer.

"We live in a culture that worships youth and an idealized beauty - we are not used to being confronted with physical disfigurement which is a reality for women who have had breast cancer. All the women that I have photographed have come to terms with their bodies and have learned to accept them and love them — something that I find incredible and inspirational."

Agata has self-funded this project leading her to travel across the UK and Portugal creating a body of work that truly reflects this subject as a labour of love.

www.agatacardoso.co.uk