Sean Lee
李培炀

Young Love

When I was 17 years old and a student, the girl sitting beside me in class passed away after a short struggle with an illness. Her name was Esther. She had stopped school for a while, but because no one knew the seriousness of her condition, we all thought it was a matter of time before she came back. When she passed away, we did not have the chance to say goodbye.

Today, I am a part time teacher of photography in a new media school. Looking at my students made me think about the days of my youth. I thought about the friends that I used to hang out with, the times I had fallen in love, and all the nights we spent partying. But it also made me think about Esther who died young and did not have the chance to grow up. 

I photographed the students in pairs. They were either best friends or lovers. I try not to make any distinctions. Youth is a bubble and every person in there is awaiting exile. My hope is that I had gotten to photograph them before they become strangers to one another or even themselves.

I often tell my students that photography teaches us above all things that our time here is brief. Perhaps this work is a way for me to say a proper goodbye to my youth, and to my friend, Esther.