2019 Photo Contest, Portraits, 3rd Prize

When I Was Ill

Photographer

Alyona Kochetkova

09 January, 2018

Alyona Kochetkova sits at home, unable to face borscht (beet soup), her favorite food, during treatment for cancer.

Alyona shot this self-portrait following surgery and chemotherapy, when, although she knew the vital importance of food, she struggled to eat. Taking photos was not only a way of sharing a difficult and personal story in the hope that it might support others with a cancer diagnosis, it was also a means of accepting her ordeal by doing what she loved.

About the photographer

Alyona Kochetkova

Alyona Kochetkova is a Russian freelance photographer and photography teacher. With her work, Kochetkova explores the historical and cultural connections between persons and t...

Technical information

Shutter Speed
1/350
Focal length
23 mm
F-Stop
f/5.6
ISO
400

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