2010　 Prize-winning works / Other entries from overseas

To Enjoy Every Minute of Life, No Matter What It Throws as You
/ Maria Lebedeva　 (Australia)

Message from the photographer

Taking photos of Yashi was a wonderful experience because she is herself in all photos. I didn't have to make specific times to do a photo shoot or anything like that; all I had to do was live my life as normal and spend time with her as I usually would. Just not forget to take a few shots when I felt like it. When I started choosing which photographs to actually send in, it was a nightmare as there were so many photos that captured Yashi in so many different ways and I had to really focus on what I wanted this photo essay to look like. During the project, Yashi was very cooperative and didn't mind the camera; she was just being herself and having fun, which was exactly what I wanted for these photos!

About the subject

I met my best friend Yashi about 3 years ago, and since then, we have only grown closer. No matter what life threw at us, both individually and together, we've always been there for each other. People called us sisters and Siamese twins and asked if everything was alright if they saw one of us without the other. Yashi is the one person who I have experienced it all with: laughter, grief, love, death, anger and tears of joy: in other words, life. I cannot imagine my life without her now. And I wanted to show how special she is to me. All our friends see something special in her, but no one sees what I see. The following photographs attempt to capture as much as possible of my way I, personally, see Yashi.