Josefina
Photographer Andrew George has a moving series titled ‘Right Before I Die’ where he captures portraits of 20 people who are facing death with calm acceptance.
George was inspired to embark on his project after witnessing the outpouring of emotions at the funeral of the mother of one of his friends.
He wondered what special qualities she had that had made such an impression on them, and this question eventually led him to photograph people with terminal illnesses.
The portraits are accompanied by short excerpts and letters from his conversations with them about life, love, family, friends and other topics.
Inspiring and touching, they are a tribute to the remarkable strength and will of the individuals who remain stoic in the face of their impending death.
“The dying are the great appreciators. They notice the value of the sunshine on a spring afternoon, a few minutes with a grandchild, another breath... And they know what spoilt ingrates we are, not stopping to register the wonder of every passing minute. They were once like us of course. They wasted decades but now they are in a position to know of their folly and warn us of our own,” author Alain de Botton states in the foreword.
View some of the portraits below and read about their stories here.
Irene
Sara
Chuck
Abel
René
Sarah
Ralph
[via PetaPixel and The Huffington Post, images via Right Before I Die]