<p>One of the things I feel passionately about is using underwater portrait photography as a means to help someone emotionally heal. When you're underwater, you have to relax and be honest and maybe face certain fears you have inside. When you see yourself in an underwater portrait, your perception of yourself changes, and you gain a sense of wonder, confidence, and pride.</p><p>Back in July and August, I ran an underwater healing project specifically to help cancer patients gain this sense of healing. My fundraising campaign, "Underwater Healer About Face," raised over $10,000 so that I could shoot 10 cancer survivors and donate money to IHadCancer.com, an online community where survivors, fighters and supporters of people with cancer can connect with one another and share their stories. I'm so grateful to all the contributors to this campaign because they made it possible for me to not only help cancer survivors locally, but to meet some extraordinary people across the nation as well.</p><p>IHadCancer.com, my partner for the campaign, flew me out to New York City to shoot their CEO and two IHadCancer.com members. One of those two members, Emily Morrison, made a particular impact on me during this trip. I was already a bit nervous since it was my first time doing an underwater photography session in New York, but I was particularly concerned because 25-year-old Emily is still receiving treatment for an inoperable brain tumor that is spreading to her optic nerve and causing her to go blind soon.</p><p>Erena Shimoda</p><p><a href="http://www.asianweek.com/2013/12/06/seeing-underwater/">Keep reading...</a></p>