Semi-finalist 2025
| Submitted by: | Aidan Lee |
| Department: | |
| Faculty: | School of Public Health |
This image captures a silhouetted figure reaching toward a heart-shaped balloon at twilight — a symbol of hope, vulnerability, and change. Taken at the edge of a hill with a vibrant sunset sky above, it portrays the emotional complexity of young people navigating adversity. The image draws from my experience with Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) in Edmonton, Alberta, where I sought to understand the role of YESS in homelessness, trauma, and systemic barriers through community-based engagement. Much like the figure in the photo, these youth are often in an “in-between” phase no longer where they were, not yet where they wish to be, yet still reaching for connection and possibility. The image reflects themes of isolation, aspiration, and resilience central to public health work on trauma-informed youth services and the fragile dichotomy of longing and letting go.
Was your image created using Generative AI?
No.
How was your image created?
This photo was taken during the late hours of sunset using a digital mirrorless camera (Fujifilm X-T3), a self-portrait shot through a 50 mm F2 lens in the hills of Dinosaur Provincial Park. After driving 450 kilometers in one sitting from Edmonton, Alberta, I had a predetermined vision of the image before I set out. Waiting for dusk, I sat for 2 hours to plan out the shot, and put the camera on a tripod on ‘interval shooting’ to capture a series of images while I ran quickly up the hill to release a singular helium balloon. Drawing artistic inspiration from world famous Banksy’s Girl with Balloon, this creative choice relates meaningfully to the organization working with individuals living with trauma, identity, and healing in youth who access support systems in society.
Where is the image located?
This image is taken in Dinosaur Provincial Park.