Kazune(Harmony) Bakhuizen, Pure expressions (PEOPLE 2026)

Before becoming a mother, I never knew how much emotion could live in such a little face. A smile, a curious gaze, a tiny frown, a sudden cry — each expression appears so naturally and disappears just as quickly. Every day, I find myself amazed by how much my baby can communicate without saying a single word. Babies grow and change before we even realise it. Knowing that these fleeting expressions will one day become memories, I take photographs not simply to capture how my baby looks, but to preserve how this moment feels. These four images are a glimpse of the many faces I have come to know — pure, honest and completely unfiltered. A reminder that childhood is made up of moments we can never get back, but can hold onto through a photograph.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.