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

21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Your absence and your closeness are sometimes painful

The theme of this photo is human relations, closeness and absence, in this case between two sisters. Sometimes there are relationships in which both closeness and absence are painful, but they also are the only two conceivable positions. Even worse than these extremes there is only the middle, the neutral, a safe distance. There are people we sometimes love extremely and sometimes cannot stand, but who are never indifferent to us. They inhabit our space with persistence and urgency, whether they touch us or are not there at all.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Switzerland
Camera: Canon EOS 700D
Copyright: © Giulia Panscera