Fashion photographer’s beautiful images of women with Cystic Fibrosis

Ian Pettigrew is a fashion photographer. He is also one of 70,000 people worldwide diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a condition that causes the body to produce a thick mucus that hinders lung and digestive function. The genetic disease is potentially fatal and living with the illness is a daily struggle as sufferers are highly susceptible to infection and constantly undergoing treatments. Pettigrew decided to produce a series of photographs of woman with CF that would empower the subjects and offer insight to those who are unaware of the disease. “Everyday it's a struggle living with CF. And, to the uninformed, it is the invisible fatal disease”, writes Pettigrew on his website. The series is named for one of CF's symptoms, an increased amount of salt in the skin and sweat, and shows woman displaying their scars and medical equipment and beauty and strength with pride. The images are accompanied by sometimes moving, sometimes witty and always honest reflections on life with CF. Images via Salty Girls Facebook