When college student and photographer Devin Mitchell started to create a portfolio for graduate school applications, he was immediately drawn to snapping shots of military personnel. These are not traditional battlefield images or formal armed services portraits, however. Mitchell's pieces aim to capture veterans as they see themselves from both a personal and professional perspective in their life after service.
The Huffington Post reported that the unique pictures feature two images, both shot by Mitchell and then pieced together. One picture features the veteran dressed in civilian clothing, looking in a mirror in his or her home. The picture looking back at him or her from the mirror is the soldier dressed in military garb. Mitchell's portraits are not only stunning because of their unique composition, but because he chose a wide variety of subjects to truly illustrate how diverse the veteran population is.
The former servicemembers featured in Mitchell's images are supportive of the project, saying that it really gives them the opportunity to display their lives behind their uniform.
"It's really giving back to us veterans in allowing us a chance to actually speak out and show who we are," Taralyn Goldman, one of the soldiers photographed by Mitchell, told ABC 7 News.
Many soldiers have difficulty returning to civilian life after spending time in the service, finding it hard to strike a balance between their former military life and new personal life. Additionally, a number of soldiers exit the service facing new obstacles, like mental and physical disabilities. Mitchell's photos shed light on all aspects of the veteran experience, featuring people dressed in traditional religious clothing, sporting prosthetic limbs and even showing off a mohawk hairdo.
After receiving positive feedback from fans of his work and the veteran community, Mitchell has started raising money to compile his pieces into a book.