By Rick Wilking
Almost 2 years ago I started work on a photo documentary simply titled “Obesity in America.” It’s a simple title but with complex subject matter.
Getting the access, the various permissions from individuals and institutions and working through the convoluted American HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) that protects patient privacy to extremes was quite a challenge. But trying to tell a story with this many layers and permutations was even tougher.
It was a hot topic back in 2010 when I started, with obesity-related stories moving frequently on the Reuters wire but with few images to go with them. I set out to change that and decided to work the project in multiple chapters.
Since I last blogged about the documentary, I have shot several more chapters and learned a lot more about how complicated this topic is.
After the early chapters in 2010 on “fat acceptance” and on an obese woman getting a gastric bypass, I’ve done work on:
