Painted Dress Project | Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign | Rome, Italy

Raleigh Wedding Photographer Collaborates With Model Lyndsey Raynor-Wren & Dress Designer Isla Atropa

I am so honored to be a part of this special project. Isla Atropa reached out to several photographers all over the world to join forces in a special collaboration. Isla Atropa is a bridal fashion brand that emphasizes fair trade products and works to promote social issues, mostly through human trafficking awareness and donation. She designed and created 3 special dresses to be sent around on an Eastern US tour, Western US tour, and an international tour. The idea is for the dress to be passed around and each photographer would be able to create a unique story with the goal to raise awareness about human trafficking, forced sex work, and illegal child marriage which are all still very prevalent today:

• * The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally.
  • 81% of them are trapped in forced labor. 25% of them are children. 75% are women and girls.
• * The International Labor Organization estimates that forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide.
• * The U.S. Department of Labor has identified 148 goods from 75 countries made by forced and child labor.
• * In 2017, an estimated 1 out of 7 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims.
  • Of those, 88% were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran.

I was thrilled when my dear friend Lyndsey agreed to model this dress at the Colosseum. She from Virginia and is studying law in Italy with a particular focus on the international side and goals to fight against human trafficking. So of course she was the perfect model for this project. She was able to masterfully show beauty yet vulnerability beneath the complicated shadow of the Colosseum. Such an iconic location, but with an infamous past of violence, sexual exploitation, and slavery. We also wanted to show the trafficking side by going underground to the metro showing how easily someone can be overlooked. But it's not all dark, there's always hope. As the sun dipped and tourists scattered, we wrapped Lyndsey up in lights and she transformed into a beacon of strength and resilience.

​I will let the rest of the pictures tell our story: 

---

Ways To Help:

• Educate yourself on your town and area of the world
• Get involved in a local chapter to raise awareness, help victims, and fundraise for law enforcement efforts
• Make informed purchasing decisions like ethically made clothing and fair trade goods 
• Be a good neighbor to the struggling teen or substance abusing friend 
• Get political, write and call your politicians to let them know the issue is important to you and ask how they're implementing policies to address the issues
• See something off, say something!

Miami Wedding Photographer, Miami Elopement Photographer, Raleigh Elopement Photographer,  Raleigh Wedding Photographer, Miami Engagement Photographer, Durham Wedding Photographer, Wilmington Wedding Photographer, Asheville Wedding Photographer, Asheville Elopement Photographer, Fort Lauderdale Wedding Photographer, Fort Lauderdale Elopement Photographer, North Carolina Wedding Photographer, Charleston Wedding Photographer, Charleston Elopement Photographer, Adventure Wedding Photographer, Adventure Elopement Photographer, LGBTQ Wedding Photographer, Same Sex Wedding Photographer, Boutique Photo Editing, Outsource wedding editing, outsource editing