Tampa Photography Blog

John Kaplan.

To most people who are not in the world of professional photography, that name means nothing.

He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

He teaches photojournalism at the University of Florida.

And he has cancer.

John is not your ordinary cancer patient. He has documented his struggle through chemotherapy and numerous other painful procedures and treatments in hopes of bringing some light to the world of cancer.

He said it started off when he took a photo of himself in his bathroom mirror on a whim. Now he’s created a documentary about the entire ordeal.

To call this brave and selfless is not enough. It’s difficult for photojournalists to document someone else’s struggle with a disease. We do it when we have to or when we think a story needs to be told. But to photograph your own story about cancer is nothing less than inspiring.

“As my doctor says, with some cancers you never know,” Kaplan said. “I don’t spend time dwelling on that. (I’m) just glad I’m here to be there for my family, there for my students and know this film project will help other people.”

I was fortunate enough to earn my degree in journalism at UF under the tutelage of John Kaplan. He has made me cry, laugh and work so hard to be a better photographer. When others couldn’t find the time to help, John pushed me and didn’t let me fail. I will never forget that about him. I hope his current students know how lucky they are.

Click here to watch a video of John discussing the film.