Let me tell you the story about this picture.

Let me tell you the story about this photograph:http://ift.tt/2wZ9Tps years ago I took this picture at an orphanage in Gomel, Belarus. In 1986 Gomel was severely contaminated by radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in neighbouring Ukraine.The contamination in Gomel was as bad as in the 20-mile exclusion zone around the power plant, from which 138,000 people were evacuated. The people of Gomel couldn't afford to move away.I was in town with a group of bikers who were raising money for a charity that supported local families and children who were still affected by the disaster. Top bunch of blokes and I'm still in touch with a couple.I came across these two lads playing quietly in a room in the orphanage's main building and when I popped my head through the door and said 'hello' their faces lit up. I don't think they got many visitors. I sat with them for a little while making daft faces to make them laugh and took this shot before I stood up to leave.The smiles on their faces seemed almost impossible given their situation. These boys, through no fault of their own, had been dealt an extremely shit hand. Both of them were of ill health and both had been abandoned by their parents. But they'd found friendship and were still able to smile.Life can be an absolute bastard sometimes, but whenever things start to get on top of me, I try to remember this moment and how these two lads were still managing to smile. In February, my Mum passed away and I was torn apart. My friends helped me put things back together.Out of all the pictures I've taken over my career, this one means the most to me. I've never put it in my portfolio because it doesn't 'fit' with the rest of my work. There's no fancy lighting. No post production. Today, I decided it's going in.This picture is a reminder that no matter what you're dealing with, there is nothing that can stop you smiling and friendship can get you through anything. It won't be easy, but these two managed it, and I'm sure you can too.I now have two boys of my own. I pull the same daft faces to make them laugh and take pictures of their smiles almost every day. My wife, our two boys and my family are my best friends, and together we can pull through anything.I didn't get to find out the names of the two boys at the orphanage, but I hope that they're still smiling, wherever they are. via /r/photography http://ift.tt/2xvYcrW