Global Lens Reflections on life, the universe, and everything

True survivor

Bobana, a 26-year old woman in Gradiska, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She lost her hands to an explosion of ordnance during the conflict that engulfed her country. Dedicated to photography, she hasn't let her disability stop her, and she participates actively in a local cooperative of artists who are also survivors of war-related violence.

In 2006 I was shooting landmine survivors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and had the privilege of meeting Bobana, a 26-year old woman in Gradiska, Banja Luka, who lost her hands to unexploded ordnance. Dedicated today to photography, she hasn't let her disability stop her, and participates actively in a local cooperative of artists who are also survivors of war-related violence. I like her managing her camera with her stumps; it's a nice correction to some who think that photography is all about technology. For Bobana it's about imagination, from which our word "image" comes. Next time you think if only you had a better camera you could take a better photo, remember Bobana, and think on how you can become a better photographer with the same camera.

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