There’s something about the stark, honest reality of this portrait that keeps drawing me back. Maybe it’s the crisp lighting, the subtle angle of her shoulder, or the unwavering precision in her gaze—elements masterfully captured by SJC photographer Sandro Altamirano. But there’s more to this collaboration.
Photographing a survivor of abuse is no easy task. John Berger’s Ways of Seeing and Susan Sontag’s On Photography remind us that to photograph is, inevitably, to objectify. Yet when the subject is Cait Alexander—sharing her story of surviving near-fatal domestic abuse, dismissed by the courts on a technicality—you realize that her vulnerability is also her power. Survivors like Cait refuse to be silenced or reduced to objects.
Cait's advocacy for systemic change and her unyielding strength are palpable in every pixel. This image speaks not only to her courage but to the seamless collaboration behind it—Sandro’s creative intuition, Cait’s emotional generosity, and the shared commitment to telling this story with authenticity and honesty.
This was one of those rare shoots for Toronto Life where everything just clicked. Thank you, Cait and Sandro, for your bravery and brilliance in making this moment come to life.
@cait.alexander@_sandro13@stjosephcommunications@torontolife
