They represent countries from around the world and are gathered in one place to achieve a common goal. Rick Guidotti's photography exhibit "Positive Exposure" creates an Olympic Team of sorts, one that celebrates the sport of life.
Each portrait is astounding, gorgeous and moving. The photographer's mission to force people to expand their perceptions of beauty seems ludicrous at first. But the utter lack of pity one feels when looking at the pictures reinforces Guidotti's aim: one sees the subjects as people, and not as subject to their conditions. Though all the pictures are fascinating, a few stand out because of their subjects or captions.
 Joseph, a nine-year-old boy with albinism from the Fiji Islands, has an incredible smile. Guidotti adds in the caption Joseph's advice to everyone feeling troubled: "Play soccer!" Another portrait is of Mere, also from Fiji, with her family. Mere has albinism and is holding an infant, surrounded by small children. Though she looks nothing like her family, there is no question, even without reading the caption, that Mere is the mother. Guidotti's power lies in his ability to capture the complexity of situations with the most simplistic of ideas.
A picture of a physically disparate mother and her family could be shocking. But all the viewer observes is the simple beauty of a parent with her children.
Rick Guidotti, in the plaque describing the intentions of "Positive Exposure," illuminates the forces driving the creation of the project.
"[For] Anyone who has ever experienced the negative social repercussions of an unconventional physical appearance," writes Guidotti, "'Positive Exposure' is a learning tool and an empathetic point of union."
Dean Judith Krauss of Silliman College said Guidotti's work is an important addition to Yale's art scene.
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