Maika Elan, 27, whose real name is Nguyen Thanh Hai, took photos of 72 homosexual couples over a one and a half year period. The product was her series entitled "The Pink Choice".

She said that her project had its share of ups and downs. At times she was able to photograph two or three couples per week, while at other times she could not get access for a month.

Maika presented 12 photos at the contest, which were selected out of the 45 that represented the entire series. The photos won her first prize in the Contemporary Issues Stories category of the World Press Photo Contest.

She said that each photo tells a story or shows a moment in the lives of each couple.

Stories behind some of the photos:  

This photo was taken in the morning during an appointment with Ngan and Tsabelle, she said. The couple were playing together while Maika set up her equipment. "I think it's funny to wear underwear during a photo shoot," Ngan told Tsabelle. The couple had a wedding ceremony three years ago with the support of both families, and a ceremony was organised to recognise their relationship. The picture displayed at the contest, showing the couple playing around, was her first shot that day.   

Upon seeing this picture, Maika says that many people ask how she could gain access to the intimacy of the bedroom of this couple. "It was really not an issue," she responded. "It really depends on the couple. Some were more apprehensive than others. For this one they actually asked me to shoot them in the nude. I caught this moment just as I turned around. They told me that they hadn't dared to take pictures together so far and that nobody had ever shown interest. They felt comfortable enough to allow me to capture this on film."

 

Maika said she was greatly impressed by the masculine nature of these two men while they were talking. They looked tough, she said, with a lot of tattoos all over their bodies. However, she was surprised when entering their home where she discovered their feminine side. She observed while they placed flowers around the house. Their house was small and looked very romantic, she said, adding that it was taken during a break. The two men had gone onto the balcony for a cigarette so as not to disturb Maika. They were unaware she was still shooting

When taking this photo, the little boy, the son of Trinh Hien, who was reading newspaper, with her ex-husband was very close to Hien’s homosexual partner Bao Quynh. The boy often came to kiss Bao Quynh

 

This photo was taken after Pham Thao Huyen (right) just had a bath. Huyen and her partner were tired after a long day of being photographed. Huyen was a dancer and her partner a roller-skater

Regarded by many as one of the most impressive shots of the collection. These two men have lived together for eight years. They both work in the restaurant business and this photo was taken while they were taking a bath on the rooftop of their home. "That day we shot until noon. They just felt hot and wanted a bath. I like the rooftop very much. It provides a nice background in the photo," said Maika