‘Visual medicine’: a San Diego photographer’s mission to empower breast cancer survivors

When Galina Semenova moved from Russia to the United States 16 years ago, spending the last 12 in San Diego, she never imagined her camera would become a tool for healing. 

Today, the fine art portrait photographer uses what she calls “visual medicine” to help breast cancer survivors reclaim their sense of beauty and power through her nonprofit, Womanity Portrait Foundation.

Semenova’s journey to this calling unfolded gradually. After studying at the Moscow Academy of Photography, she dedicated years to capturing landscapes and events, seeking her artistic voice.

“I was searching for a subject that would be very inspiring, motivating to me,” she said. The breakthrough came in 2018 when a friend asked her to photograph a calendar project. 

“While I was photographing her, I realized this is the missing part. Finally, I found my subject.”

Through portrait work, Semenova became captivated by the interplay of shapes, beauty and raw emotional power that emerged through the female form. 

This discovery led to a deeper purpose when another friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy, radiation and a mastectomy. 

“She had no hair, she had only one breast. She didn’t like herself in the mirror at all,” Semenova said. 

But the portrait session they did together became transformative. 

“She could feel herself beautiful through the photos; she could acknowledge something important about her journey,” Semenova said. 

This experience planted the seed for the “Portraits of Resilience” project and Womanity Portrait Foundation, which Semenova launched as a nonprofit 18 months ago. She’s now actively fundraising to provide free, personalized portrait sessions for breast cancer survivors.

“I realized through this work that I see something they don’t see about themselves,” Semenova said. “When I show them the photos, their perception of themselves changes.”

“Sometimes we need a little push of self-confidence and we can just fly. That’s the intention that I have all the time in my work,” she said. 

Semenova describes her sessions as collaborative experiences where clients view images as they’re captured. They gradually shed inhibitions and embrace a growing sense of freedom, transforming from subjects into co-creators of their own empowerment.

“They get permission to be themselves, they get permission to be playful, they get permission to feel good,” she said. “It’s beautiful to witness.”

The Womanity Portrait Foundation goes beyond photoshoots and storytelling. Semenova developed workshops teaching self-portraiture as a healing tool for breast cancer survivors and women navigating body image, working with organizations such as Living Beauty Cancer Foundation in Los Angeles.

Semenova’s current projects reflect an ambitious vision. This fall, she plans to launch a one-day retreat for breast cancer survivors in San Diego, combining her self-portraiture workshop with mindfulness practices led by a certified wellness coach who is also a survivor. Meanwhile, a yearlong project funded by a city of Chula Vista Performing and Visual Arts Grant will focus on Stage 4 breast cancer survivors in the Hispanic community, culminating in an exhibition next year.

The choice to work with terminal cancer patients reflects Semenova’s philosophy about finding beauty in life’s deepest challenges. 

“The depth of pain, the depth of emotion — I never shied away from it,” she said. “I’m fascinated by the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

“I see how every day these survivors choose to keep going, to keep fighting, to keep having a positive attitude and faith that everything’s going to be okay. Even though it’s scary, there is no promise, but yet they have hope.”

“We learn through stories and we find hope through other people’s experiences and examples,” Semenova said, emphasizing the importance of holding space for women to see themselves with new eyes.

Her approach serves to honor her subjects and to reach others who may be struggling, asking herself, “How can I create a spark that will reignite the spirit of the fighter?”

As the Womanity Portrait Foundation grows, Semenova envisions taking her work global, documenting breast cancer experiences across different countries and cultures. 

Her ultimate goal remains constant: to empower women through visual storytelling by documenting the multifaceted challenges they face.

“Our difficulties look different, for some it’s health, for others it’s something else,” Semenova said. “Let’s celebrate the victories we have every day just being here. Keep moving forward and don’t give up.”

To support the Womanity Portrait Foundation, go to www.womanityportrait.org.