Childhood courage — the breath before action

Photographer

Xing Hu

Category

Special Category - Film Photography

Company

Submission Group

Professional

Year

2025

Country / Region:

Hong Kong SAR

Maroubra Beach, Sydney. In the middle ground, two boys mirror each other, hands on hips, measuring the swell. It’s the almost‑heroic pose children strike before doing something that feels big. Around them, others float and duck under, but the pair hold the breath before action. Shot on black‑and‑white film, the grain reduces the scene to gesture and resolve: courage as rehearsal, play as training. The next wave is coming; the decision—to go—will make them a little older.