a kindergarten teacher Minsk, Belarus When I saw Yelena Yahontova s photo albums I was so impressed that I wanted her to photograph my two sons as soon as possible. The result is included here. The photos turned out to be unusually interesting, original and spontaneous. The children were posing with pleasure, as Yelena in some wonderful way had made the photo session a kind of exciting transformation and posing-performing game for them. The boys liked to change the images of photo characters from Ukrainian Cossacks to a circus clown, from a mysterious poet to a street comedian. The children enthusiastically changed their accessories, sat patiently when Yelena was putting makeup on their faces. And the most important thing is that they were absolutely at ease and felt very important so much attention to them alone! Yelena Yahontova puts a lot of time, feelings and work into her photos that she never takes into account. Exposures take place outdoors, which gives Yahontova s works an unusual beauty. Yelena creates the mood of her photo portraits very subtly by choosing the backgrounds skillfully, catching certain facial expressions instantaneously or encouraging children to convey a certain state of the soul. All this is seen in the works of a woman who loves what she does very much. Every day I glance several times at my sons portraits hanging on the walls at my home and simply admire them.   Copyright © Yelena Yahontova, 2003-2005. All images and texts are property of the author. Duplication in whole or in part is prohibited.