08/28/2025
"For the past seven posts I’ve laid out what is seemingly a bleak situation with an even bleaker future ahead. But, that’s not the whole story. The truth is that this diagnosis, this disorder, this disease is my crucible. It’s a fire in which I’ve forged my mettle and strengthened my resilience.
The doctors said that lactic acid helps stymie the deterioration of my vision. The best way to build up lactic acid is through exercise, which has helped me build up my physical strength along with my spiritual will. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I can take on anything.
I’m not going to bu****it you and tell you it’s all going to be ok. It took me eight years to get to this point and I feel like this journey has given me the clarity and fortitude to push through. I’m ready to face the future and stand defiantly as the lights go dark in my vision. "
By Matt Cetta
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"This closing image of Matt is another multi-layered photo in both meaning and technical ex*****on. I overlaid string and wire, scanned and textured with added noise, onto a blurred image of him holding his cane, facing away. The strands weave across the frame like fragments of vision, fragile, shifting, and incomplete, yet they encircle him with a sense of movement and continuity. His stance is steady, grounded, and strong, even against the moody darkness of the composition. Though his sight narrows as he will continue in his journey with this condition, the image reflects a quiet confidence and resilience on the path ahead.
Photographing this project was deeply meaningful to me because it allowed me to step into another perspective and explore how photography can translate the unseen into something felt. It reminded me why I believe so strongly in using portraiture to tell stories that go beyond the surface. Hope you enjoyed these images as much as I did in creating them!"
By Christina DeOrtentiis
📌Check out the other portraits about Matt's journey with Retinitis pigmentosa at
