The above photo was taken in 2004 at the Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw. Six-year-old Patrycja, terminally ill with a kidney tumour, comforts her blind mother. In this scene, apart from her loving touch, the subjects’ faces speak volumes. The photographer has successfully captured the emotions and special relationship between parent and child.
On her website, Bedyńska states that her photography focuses on sensitive issues, the fringes of society, and the modern role of women. The above picture is taken from a series she worked on for several months. Apart from photographing her subjects, she also spoke to them at length. ‘They treated me like a confessor,’ she said. It came as a relief for them to share painful experiences with an outsider. The photographer later admitted that, after these regular hospital visits, she needed to ‘get over’ the emotional burden. She explained that working on such a tough theme gave her the urge to disappear, to be invisible.
This photograph won Photo of the Year in the Grand Press Photo 2005 competition. Francesco Zizola, the head of the jury, summed up his choice as follows:
