Capturing the heartache caused by the 2011 massacre in Utøya, Norway, a photograph of a young survivor and her dogs (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2315129/Dog-stopped-nightmares-Breivik-massacred-friends-Stunning-portrait-Utoya-Island-survivor-wins-major-photography-prize.html) reminds us not just of the lingering pain in the aftermath of a tragedy, but also of the moving power of hope -- and love.
"In the period after Utøya, I had a really hard time sleeping (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/sony-world-photography-awards-2013-winners_n_3156898.html?utm_hp_ref=arts#slide=2377008)," said 15-year-old Iselin Rose Borch, according to the caption attached to the touching photo. "I was afraid of the dark and suffered from dreadful nightmares. My mom and I decided that getting a dog might help me, so I got Athene. Now she sleeps on top of my stomach every night."
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Borch, with little Athene and her family's large mastiff. (Credit: Andrea Gjestvang/Moment/Sony World Photography Awards via AP Images)
Borch was on the island of Utøya when Anders Behring Breivik went on a killing spree (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/22/utoya-norway-shooting-terror_n_907069.html) there, murdering 69 people, most of them teenagers, in July 2011. She said she survived the massacre by hiding behind a rock. She was later rescued by tourists on a boat.
The photo of Borch, taken by 32-year-old Norweigian photographer Andrea Gjestvang, is one of a series of award-winning portraits of youths who survived the Utøya massacre. Earlier this week, Gjestvang clinched the title of "Photographer of the Year (http://worldphoto.org/news-and-events/wpo-news/2013-sony-world-photography-awards-winners-announced/)" at the Sony World Photography Awards (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/sony-world-photography-awards-2013-winners_n_3156898.html) for her poignant portrait series.
Via: HuffingtonPost