“X-Ray”: Smokers’ Lungs are Focus of Sobering Photos

In Indonesia, Vita Strategies is using creative ways to alert people to the dangers of tobacco and fight the high prevalence of use in that country. An estimated quarter of a million Indonesians die annually from smoking-related disease and the industry recruits 16.4 million new smokers each year, replacing them many times over. This photo series, which features images of people suffering tobacco-related diseases and lists their ages, names, and diagnoses, was taken by Niken Yuliana as part of a workshop for young photographers led by award-winning Jakarta-based photographer Rony Zakaria in collaboration with Vital Strategies and Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogykarta. Projects like this engage young people, who are being aggressively targeted by the industry, rally communities around victims, and serve as a wake-up call to viewers.