portrait photography - Mayan girl - third entry for "Black & White Portraits" #portraitcontest

I was fortunate in 2002 to be invited to join a Mayan new years celebration in Guatemala. We had daily fire ceremonies and traveled the country side to visit several Mayan communities.

During one of those ceremonies I sat next to this little girl, she was staring intently at me so I quickly grabbed my little travel camera and took this shot. She reached out and held my hand, as can be seen in the next shot. As impressive as the whole ceremonial experience was, this little personal moment was the highlight of this journey.

This is my third entry for "Black & White Portraits" #portraitcontest; week 25 of the photo challenge by @jasonrussell, with guest judge @bescouted.

This photo was taken with a simple point-and-shoot camera. The travel series that this is a part of can be seen at my website, in color so that the beautiful clothes these people wore can be better appreciated.

_{Photography, art work and text by @edward.maesen
#epvm #epvm-photography #epvm-monochrome}