This picture was taken when my mum came to visit me in Edinburgh, where I am based now with my husband. I have invited her to come to the studio and pose for my latest portrait project - she has put on a brave face but I knew she was petrified. My mother is the strangest creature - on one hand she runs a very successful company where she manages hundreds of people, where she has to appear on tv answering tricky questions, a business that she created singlehanded and in which she excells. On the other hand she is terrified of… a rainstorm! When a thunder strikes she trembles like a leaf. She hates rodents, flying, visiting new places and heights. She is full of these contrasts, like her light, almost transparent skin and her passion for wearing only black garments. When I finished the photoshoot I gave her a big hug, I think she was relieved. The portrait project is about our fear of passing away and I know that her biggest fear is that she would be one day left all alone.

—Submitted by Sylwia Kowalczyk