Heading into southern Iraq towards Basra in 2011, we travelled through the Iraqi Marshlands and came across a number of locals who had made their home here. It was a big contrast to the dry and dusty conditions that we had already travelled through to get here. Whilst we waited for a boat to take us across the waterways, I wandered over to a couple of huts along the water. A dog came out barking towards me, but a small girl followed the dog out and soon reigned it in. Another girl, who I presume was her sister due to their likeness, appeared out from these same huts with a welcoming smile, and I photographed her against the backdrop of the marshes.