Since being diagnosed with HIV 18 years ago, Duane Cramer has become a tireless advocate for HIV awareness and education, using his photography and creative skills to bring attention to the disease. He is well known for his photography-based HIV awareness visuals, and particularly for his efforts in the African-American community, which has been disproportionately affected by HIV.

 

Duane has been involved with the development and creation of several HIV initiatives like “Testing Makes Us Stronger” with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Greater Than AIDS – Deciding Moments,” “HIV Stops With Me” and “Love Your Life – Keep it 100 NYC.” Duane previously served as a board member emeritus for the NAMES Project Foundation – AIDS Memorial Quilt, was a founding member of the board of directors of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center and was Vice President of the board of directors of Frameline. He continues to devote his time, energy and artistic expression to numerous HIV events and organizations across the United States, and has done volunteer work in Kenya, Africa.
 

Duane is currently collaborating with Merck on I Design, a national education campaign to help empower people living with HIV to work with their doctors and approach their HIV treatment plan “through their own lens.” As part of the I Design campaign, Duane will share his personal experience with HIV and emphasize the importance of people living with HIV to have meaningful, open patient-physician dialogue to encourage collaboration and active communication about their goals of treatment now and in the  future. 

 

Duane is an internationally known, award-winning photographer. His poignant photos of dignitaries, celebrities and everyday-individuals gracefully capture the humanity of his subjects. Duane’s work, which has been favorably compared to the late Gordon Parks and Herb Ritts for his compelling black and white imagery, has been published around the world.