The story of Yevgenia Shirkina
"This workshop taught me to catch the moment" - Yevgenia Shirkina By John Varoli Yevgenia Shirkina was born without arms. When her parents didn't want to take the newborn home, afraid she was a burden they couldn't bear, her paternal grandmother stepped in and took her, and has raised her ever since. Today, there are few things Yevgenia, 10, can't do --- and all of it done with her feet. Writing? No problem. Household chores? Again, a cinch. Painting and drawing? She produces amazing oil paintings. Now, thanks to UNICEF's photography workshop in Moscow for disabled children she has added photography to that list. "It's always been my dream to learn photography," said Yevgenia, who was paired with Katya Sharygina, 14. "It's very interesting and maybe I'll become a photographer some day.'' Along with the other children, Yevgenia's and Katya's first assignment was to cover an orphanage for severely mentally and physically disabled children. Yevgenia, however, declined to photograph these children. "They were abandoned here by their mothers, and I was struck by the fact that they need motherly love so much,'' said Yevgenia. Later that day, once on Moscow's historic Arbat Street and Red Square, Yevgenia came alive again. She energetically captured the historic buildings and people passing by. While sometimes Katya took the shot, most were Yevgenia's own work. Her technique was simple. Holding the camera with her feet, she would shoot by either leaning on her grandmother or balancing herself on a flat object. This gave her photos an unusual perspective from the bottom up.
The last day of the workshop brought elections in a number of categories. Going into the competition, Yevgenia's photos were clearly the favourite. Indeed, there were no surprises as Yevgenia and Katya took “Best Photo Award” for their close-up shot of a man and woman walking and holding hands. "This workshop taught me to catch the moment," said Yevgenia. "When the children began to vote, I started to get worried, but I told Katya that I was convinced we would win."
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Photo essay
