Irish nurse and photographer Steven Doyle has created a powerful and deeply personal photo documentary series showcasing the stories of people living with HIV in Ireland.

Titled PLHIV (People Living with HIV), the photo documentary uses portrait photography and oral testimony to shed light on the lives of people living with HIV across Ireland and Europe. The project is rooted in lived experience and professional insight, as Steven Doyle brought over 25 years of experience as a registered nurse and adult educator to its creation.

Rooted in the urgent need to reshape how HIV is understood in healthcare, education, and public discourse, the documentary examines how stigma operates in clinical settings. It then explores how transformative it can be when people in power, such as educators, nurses, and doctors, listen and learn from lived experiences.

“I started PLHIV because I’ve seen firsthand how the stories of people living with HIV are still so often silenced,” said Steven Doyle. “We’ve come a long way medically, but stigma, especially in healthcare, still thrives. I wanted to create something that puts people, not pathology, at the centre.”

The photos portray people from diverse backgrounds, including drag performers, migrant women, educators, long-term survivors, and young activists. Each is paired with the subject’s own words as they trace their unique journeys from diagnosis to acceptance, resilience and activism.

Starting from a deeply personal story, Doyle recounted the life of Nicu Bordian, a young boy living with HIV whom he met while volunteering in Romania in the early 1990s. Nicu had been abandoned by his family following his diagnosis and placed in institutional care.

Doyle later adopted the boy and brought him to Ireland, where Nicu thrived for many years. He passed away in 2016, but his memory became the core of the PLHIV project. “Nicu taught me about love, resilience, and the injustices faced by people with HIV,” Doyle shares. “This work is a tribute to him and others like him.”

PLHIV has been entirely self-funded, but despite the limited resources, it has already made a widespread grassroots impact. The documentary has been used informally in healthcare during educational sessions, with Doyle and other participants sharing their lived experiences.

Speaking of the future of the project, Doyle said: “I would love to connect with people who see the value in this work, especially in healthcare, education, or the pharmaceutical industry, who are willing to support the next phase.

“This project needs investment to reach its full potential. It’s not just about photography. It’s about shifting narratives, promoting education, and improving lives.”

If you’d like to know more about the PLHIV project, visit the website.

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