Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Burdened with Fear

This piece was the first in an advanced investigation of capturing emotion and vulnerability through photographs. In today's current landscape a trend I have noticed among younger generations is feeling the burden of current events. From climate change to systematic injustice to the covid 19 pandemic, there has been a shift of responsibility for regrowth and revolution put on today's youth. While there is importance in this power we sometimes neglect the toll that it can take on a young developing brain. This photograph is meant to capture a young child who, besides dealing with her personal life, is faced with watching the world around her collapse and feeling helpless as one singular person. This photo captures both the pain that these devastating events are causing and the reaction that future generations are having to seeing their world destroyed by the very adults who are supposed to protect them.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Simsbury, Connecticut, United States of America
Copyright: © Willa Kulynych-Griffith