We’ve fought long and hard for acceptance, equal rights and breaking stereotypes. Yet, we still have a long way to go. Even with all the advancements and privileges we enjoy, many of our brothers and sisters are still fighting for freedom – to escape labels, unnecessary standards and discrimination. The month of June, ‘Pride Month’ as we all know it, is the perfect time to celebrate these struggles. For award-winning visual artist and photographer Niccolo Cosme, one of the many ways to stand up to significant issues is through his brainchild, ‘Project HeadShot Clinic’, taking numerous headshots with well thought out details and uploading them all at once.
For Pride month, Project Headshot Clinic, in partnership with Strokes By Momoi Supe has come up with ‘FreeLove’, an online photo exhibit that celebrates diversity, acceptance, beauty and love.
“Initially, the idea of Project Headshot Clinic, I just wanted to tinker with the concept of mass photo shooting. It was just a social media experiment where a unified headshot was uploaded all at the same time back in 2007.
There were no advocacies yet. FreeLove started 3 years ago when I realized that there was no headshot clinic for LGBT”, says Niccolo. He believes that by populating social media with photos that stand for important causes more visible, it would make way for meaningful discourse and behavioral change little by little.
The whole concept of FreeLove boils down to breaking free from the barriers that society has built over love. More so, it encourages celebrating beauty and love in all its colors, shapes, and sizes.
Niccolo has gained recognition for his avant garde and intricate concepts and this year’s theme does not disappoint. It goes without saying that FreeLove is not your ordinary photoshoot and it not surprise that a lot of well-known personalities showed their support for the campaign. Project Headshot Clinic also opened slots for the public through a sign up sheet on their Facebook page.
Didn’t make it to the shoot? Don’t worry. You can still paint social media with pride colors by posting your photos and sharing your views on diversity. Make sure to use the hashtags : #FreeLovePH, #ThisIsMyBeauty and #RiseUpTogether
