postcard from phnom penh

I was walking across a field just before dusk, heading toward the Sisowath Quay. I came across a group of kids playing, and when they saw my camera they surrounded me and started posing for pictures.

This girl, who was older than the rest of them, hung back a little. When I was getting ready to leave, she told me that she was 12 years old, and she wanted me to take a picture of her all by herself.

It was tough, because whenever I raised the camera, all the kids would immediately go to wherever it was pointed, as if it were a magnet. I kept shooting and eventually got this shot.

When I look at it, I see a girl who wants to let the world know that she exists, and that she is unique.

It was my last evening in Phnom Penh.