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Prior to beginning this interview process, I'm unsure as to what to expect. My interviewee is a really close friend of mine but we've never discussed death or particular feelings of grief associated with the loss of a loved one. This picture is representative of the unknown, what lies around the bend? Although I don't know where the conversation will take us, I hope it allows for the healthy processing of grief and brings us closer as friends.

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After the first interview session, I was struck by how deeply my interviewee had felt the loss of his loved one. It wasn't necessarily hard for us to talk about his grief, but it was difficult to sit in the room with those feelings. After the interview, I visited a cemetery in order to better understand the finality of his loss. While it was peaceful, I couldn't help but think about the grief, anger, frustration, that must be attached to each tombstone.

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After the second interview, I felt most affected by the intense feelings of isolation that took hold of my interviewee after his loss. He expressed the idea of feeling like it was him battling against a vast emptiness, an emptiness that threatened to suck him into it and remove him from "normal" functioning. I took this image to showcase those feelings of loneliness, of seclusion. I also found it interesting that there is another person walking on the beach, potentially representative of the fact that many of us will inhabit that mental space of isolation when dealing with grief. Despite knowing that others may experience similar things in relation to loss, it's difficult to not feel like you're on your own.

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After this last session, I felt a closer connection between my interviewee and I. This image represents us taking a leap forward in our friendship, feeling more comfortable talking about our feelings and issues that are truly important and affect our lives. I also took this image because it represents how scary and new it can be to deal with a loss. My interviewee's experience with grief was the first time he had lost anyone close to him. Despite the fact that everyone must deal with their grief process on their own, having someone there who will catch you if you stumble can make a world of difference.

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These photos served to articulate my emotions regarding the interview by giving me a chance to visually represent my feelings. It's rare the I recognize or choose to talk about my emotional response to situations but taking pictures was an easy way to make sense of my inner experiences. During the process of taking these images I learned that grieving the death of a loved one is a very personal process. It challenges your core values, beliefs, plans for the future and can truly derail your life as you know it. That being said, as a helper, the best thing we can do is to listen to our loved one when they need it. Offer a shoulder to cry on when it's helpful. Catch our loved when they stumble and finally, help them make sense of this trauma in such a way that they can learn, grow, and move forward toward with their own life.