Feature Photo of the Year

Editor and Publisher is a journal that covers the newspaper industry; each year they award a prize to the best photograph accompanying a feature newspaper article. This year the award was given to Boston Globe photographer Essdras Suarez for his photo of Jessica, a young girl who depends on a portable ventilator.

We went to the school in Newton where the little girl was taking classes. I asked Jessica to come outside in the hallway where the light was better. She told her mom she wanted to show me how she could dance ballet. I’m, like, “OK, go ahead and show me.” For one frame she did that one beautiful pose and I happened to capture it.

I have some experience with portable ventilators, so even though the image above isn't visually spectacular, to me it does have certain evocative quality.