"Nika. Russia LOVE" (photo documentary)

This is one of the images that make up the "Nika. Russia LOVE" photo documentary project started by Dutch photographer Ilse Frech in 2005 when she was 33 years old. Ilse wanted to explore the life of a young woman (Nika, age 25) affected by the disease, including all the complications of becoming an adult.

"Nika. Russia LOVE" is not a traditional photo documentary project. It's more of a contemplation of a young woman's life or a lucid conversion about mortality. The photos lead you through the photographer’s personal impressions of trying to understand her subject and herself. Ilse Frech says, "My interests always had been focused on finding stories taken from daily life, where people play an important role and find themselves in often marginal situations of society." After working in Russia on a story about HIV-positive orphans for a Dutch newspaper, she began to want to work with young adults who were also positive for the disease. In 2005, she returned to Russia and contacted a group called COPLHA (Community of People Living with Aids) which helped young people through drug rehab and adjusting to life with the disease. "I realized that being HIV forced a person into isolation," the photographer said.

View a slideshow of all 32 images and read more about the project

(image and description taken from http://lightbox.time.com)