Portraits of Hope: Capturing Strength and Spirit in Photos

Most days, getting off the elevator on the 10th floor of the Marcus Center for Advanced Rehabilitation might feel like you’ve taken a wrong turn. The floor is only a shell, with bare concrete floors stretching to the exterior walls of the building, waiting to one day turn into office space, research labs, or an outpatient clinic. But for five days this spring, the 10th floor came to life. 

Music bumping, dozens of artists — photographers, production assistants, hair and make-up specialists — zipping across the floor, camera flashes bouncing off 12-foot backdrops. The blank space, it turns out, is the perfect setting for a photoshoot. 

The 10th floor was home base for Portraits of Hope, a photo project spearheaded by producer Sarah Howell and photographer Stephanie Eley, known as Eley. Portraits of Hope celebrates the courage, resilience, and individuality of Shepherd Center patients. Hospital staff nominated patients from across treatment programs, who were then invited, along with their families, friends, and Shepherd staff members, to take part in a professional photoshoot, complete with hair and makeup, personalized playlists and photo sessions, and an opportunity to share their stories. 

For Sarah, a patient in Shepherd’s Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute, creating the portraits was her way of giving back. 

“Some patients come back and volunteer, some do advocacy work, some raise money,” she says. “What I know how to do is organize photo shoots.” 

Sarah met Eley at an American Photographic Artists (APA) Atlanta event, where Eley mentioned taking photos at Shepherd Center. Sarah told her about her idea for Portraits of Hope, they shared it with Chris Walker, Shepherd's director of digital strategy and marketing, and from there, the idea took on a life of its own.

In addition to spotlighting the resilience and tenacity of Shepherd Center patients, the project presented emerging photographers in the Atlanta area with an opportunity to hone their skills. 

“We focused on emerging photographers, so people at the beginnings of their careers — primarily women and people of color who don’t always get opportunities of this scale early in their journey — and they’ve been incredible,” Sarah says. 

The project culminated in a gallery opening in July, where the photographers, patients, their families, Shepherd staff members, and other community members got to see the portraits on display at the Marcus Center for Advanced Rehabilitation. Since then, the portraits have traveled to the Atlanta History Center for the hospital’s 50th anniversary celebration, and in fall 2026, the portraits will be on display for three months at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where 26 million travelers are expected to pass through. 

“I’m hoping that the takeaway from individuals seeing the final project is a space where we are celebrating one another,” Eley says.

To see the photos, read additional patient stories, learn more about the featured photographers, and see behind-the-scenes footage, visit shepherd.org/portraits-of-hope.