PTSD Project is a self portrait taken in a small house in Buckeye, Arizone. It took photographer Christopher Oshana about two months to complete it and is about the emotional trauma, with which some veterans deal.
Photography Exhibit Highlights PTSD
By Mike Scheck, Phoenix Battalion A&PA
(Additional information provided by Fonda Bock)
Photos by Christopher Oshana
Oct. 23, 2015
Using his passion for photography to educate the public about veterans, Phoenix Recruiting Battalion operations analyst Christopher “Boats” Oshana recently completed an exhibition at the Phoenix Monorchid Gallery, “Stories of Sacrifice; PTSD.”
“My mission is to spread awareness for Post-Traumatic Stress through photography to help veterans secure the help they need,” Oshana said. “By showing the public [through photographs] that even though our service men and women come back from conflicts in one piece, there still may be some underlying symptom that affects their entire world.”
Nine percent of Army recruiters have PTSD compared to 5 percent of the rest of the Army, according to U.S. Army Recruiting Command Psychologist Lt. Col. Craig Jenkins. He cites a number of reasons why USAREC’s numbers are higher.
“A significant portion of recruiters had been to war before being detailed to recruiting, and recruiting generally doesn’t help,” said Jenkins. “They are also people who are used to being successful and then all of a sudden they’re not.
“USAREC has no training cycle. Recruiters leave the Recruiting and Retention School, where they are taught the basics but haven’t yet mastered their skills before they begin recruiting.”
Being dispersed around the United States only adds to the stress. Recruiters don’t have access to the support that an installation immediately provides, such as, child care, a gym, and an integrated healthcare system, Jenkins said.
We spoke with Oshana about his photography and how he uses it to spread awareness about PTSD.
Who are you and what do you do?
I am US Navy Veteran, a full time employee of the Army, and a photographer. I quality control enlistment contracts during the day, and in the afternoon, I do commercial and fine art photography. I have been a photographer for about 8 years.
How did you get your start?
I started to take photos on my first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea back in 1985, but had to stop because someone stole my camera. In 2006 I picked one up again and took a photo of one of my 2-year old twins around Christmas playing with the tree. A friend of mine told me to send it into a photo contest. I did and it was published.
What would you like to accomplish before you die?
One of my greatest accomplishment is to raise my kids to be kind and decent people. But when it comes to my work, I would like to be able to help spread enough awareness for PTSD to help veterans secure the help they need and possibly prevent a senseless death by suicide.
What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such imagery?
My ideas come from my life. I am working on a photo essay about veterans with PTSD and trying to raise awareness about it. By showing the public that even though our service men and women come back in one piece, there may still be something wrong, affecting their entire world.
What is your mantra?
You could say that my mantra is honor, courage and commitment. I honor those who are close to me as well as those around me, I have the courage to keep refining my craft and to make the right choices in life, and I am committed to be a person with the high morals and standards that I learned in the military.
How would you describe your style?
I would describe my style as straight photography, because I do not do much manipulation to my photos in Photoshop, unless they call for it. I do not like to crop, I prefer to ensure that the shot is correct in the camera before I shoot, but if it has to be cropped I will do it grudgingly.
We know that each of us has someone or something that inspires our life and work. Can you tell us the true basis of your inspiration?
I was inspired by one of my twin daughters, she was about 2 and a half, and I was trying to shoot her and her sister for some Christmas photos to send my parents. … She decided to play with a Christmas ball on the tree and I took the shot. It reminded me of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Where can we see your work?
At this time you can see my work on four Facebook Pages: Christopher BOATS Oshana; PTSD, The Invisible Scar; Oshana Digital Productions, and Stories of Their Sacrifices: PTSD.
By Mike Scheck, Phoenix Battalion A&PA
(Additional information provided by Fonda Bock)
Photos by Christopher Oshana
Oct. 23, 2015
Using his passion for photography to educate the public about veterans, Phoenix Recruiting Battalion operations analyst Christopher “Boats” Oshana recently completed an exhibition at the Phoenix Monorchid Gallery, “Stories of Sacrifice; PTSD.”
“My mission is to spread awareness for Post-Traumatic Stress through photography to help veterans secure the help they need,” Oshana said. “By showing the public [through photographs] that even though our service men and women come back from conflicts in one piece, there still may be some underlying symptom that affects their entire world.”
Nine percent of Army recruiters have PTSD compared to 5 percent of the rest of the Army, according to U.S. Army Recruiting Command Psychologist Lt. Col. Craig Jenkins. He cites a number of reasons why USAREC’s numbers are higher.
“A significant portion of recruiters had been to war before being detailed to recruiting, and recruiting generally doesn’t help,” said Jenkins. “They are also people who are used to being successful and then all of a sudden they’re not.
“USAREC has no training cycle. Recruiters leave the Recruiting and Retention School, where they are taught the basics but haven’t yet mastered their skills before they begin recruiting.”
Being dispersed around the United States only adds to the stress. Recruiters don’t have access to the support that an installation immediately provides, such as, child care, a gym, and an integrated healthcare system, Jenkins said.
We spoke with Oshana about his photography and how he uses it to spread awareness about PTSD.
Who are you and what do you do?
I am US Navy Veteran, a full time employee of the Army, and a photographer. I quality control enlistment contracts during the day, and in the afternoon, I do commercial and fine art photography. I have been a photographer for about 8 years.
How did you get your start?
I started to take photos on my first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea back in 1985, but had to stop because someone stole my camera. In 2006 I picked one up again and took a photo of one of my 2-year old twins around Christmas playing with the tree. A friend of mine told me to send it into a photo contest. I did and it was published.
What would you like to accomplish before you die?
One of my greatest accomplishment is to raise my kids to be kind and decent people. But when it comes to my work, I would like to be able to help spread enough awareness for PTSD to help veterans secure the help they need and possibly prevent a senseless death by suicide.
What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such imagery?
My ideas come from my life. I am working on a photo essay about veterans with PTSD and trying to raise awareness about it. By showing the public that even though our service men and women come back in one piece, there may still be something wrong, affecting their entire world.
What is your mantra?
You could say that my mantra is honor, courage and commitment. I honor those who are close to me as well as those around me, I have the courage to keep refining my craft and to make the right choices in life, and I am committed to be a person with the high morals and standards that I learned in the military.
How would you describe your style?
I would describe my style as straight photography, because I do not do much manipulation to my photos in Photoshop, unless they call for it. I do not like to crop, I prefer to ensure that the shot is correct in the camera before I shoot, but if it has to be cropped I will do it grudgingly.
We know that each of us has someone or something that inspires our life and work. Can you tell us the true basis of your inspiration?
I was inspired by one of my twin daughters, she was about 2 and a half, and I was trying to shoot her and her sister for some Christmas photos to send my parents. … She decided to play with a Christmas ball on the tree and I took the shot. It reminded me of a Norman Rockwell painting.
Where can we see your work?
At this time you can see my work on four Facebook Pages: Christopher BOATS Oshana; PTSD, The Invisible Scar; Oshana Digital Productions, and Stories of Their Sacrifices: PTSD.
Self portrait of Christopher Oshana taken by Wayne Rainey.