Photo taken by contributor Teija, a woman in her thirties from Finland. Teija suffered from a severe depressive episode at the age of 25, which turned into psychosis, and led to a three month hospitalization. Fortunately, she got better quite quickly and got her life back on track. She found love after getting out of the hospital. Her life changed drastically when her partner was paralyzed in December of 2012. It has been hard ever since. They are both fighting to keep from getting too depressed. Life goes on and they try to stay strong. She has been interested in photography for many years, but began actively exploring it over the last five years.

About this photo: “This one is truly one of my photographs that I will cherish all my life. In so many ways this one represents me as a photographer, how I always try to show my feelings or the subject’s feelings, or both. I like to tell a story, and work my feelings throughout my photography. Here this girl is so shy, like myself… I have often felt that way, like people do not really see me. When I was teenager, I was much more outgoing than now, but yet I was always feeling like I was alone and people did not really get me. You know that feeling like all your friends are popular and beautiful, and you do not quite fit in that crowd?”

Find more from Teija at her blog.

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