During my career as a photographer, I don't recall working on a project that had such an emotional impact on me as my job in Cambodia and Vietnam for the international aid agency Hagar.
Hagar look after those that other agencies can't help, namely woman and children who have been subject to extreme cases of sexual abuse, domestic violence and exploitation (trafficking).
I had a good understanding of what the people I photographed had been through, but chose not to get their full stories before working with each of them so I could focus on the positive. I wanted to be able to have fun with them and get them to relax in front of the camera. The brief was to capture the new life these women & kids have found with Hagar, conveying a mix of joy and happiness, but also vulnerability in the shots, without exposing the full identity of the children.
