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About two months ago, Steve McCurry and his portraits were featured on this blog, with his world famous photograph of the Afghan Girl taken over 25 years ago mentioned in passing. This week's photograph draws some inspiration from that image, although it turns that inspiration into something both haunting and stirring. This is the portrait of another Afghan girl, Bibi Aisha as photographed by Jodi Bieber.

This picture first gained worldwide recognition when it was featured in Time magazine's August 2010 issue. The picture is doubly significant because it was the 2010 World Press Photo of the Year, surpassing over 108,000 other entries in the competition.

According to the WPP jury, this photo was not the clear favorite to win the top prize, but it had that special quality that draws you in at first and evokes questions and stories in your mind even after you've move on to another image, something which all good photographs should do.

Bibi's ears and nose were cut off by her husband after she ran away from him after a long period of abuse. She was taken back with the help of the Taliban, was disfigured, and abandoned. Thankfully, there is a happy ending to her story as she has since undergone reconstructive surgery and is now living in the USA. You can find out more about Bibi Aisha over at Ms. Bieber's website.

Despite her obvious disfigurement, the portrait shows a calm and confident young woman. Her missing nose is what you first notice in the picture, but it is her piercing eyes that keep you in. It must have taken real communication and understanding during the portrait shoot to capture such a striking image.

It was difficult to photograph Bibi at first; Ms. Bieber found her withdrawn and something seemed off, not uncommon for someone who has undergone a horrific ordeal. So she put down her camera and took the time to talk to Bibi to draw out something beautiful and dignified in her. It was exactly what they both needed and the above portrait is what you get when there is a real relationship between the artist and the subject.

To find out more about how this Afghan Girl portrait won the World Press Photo competition, head on over to their website. Read the whole story on Bibi Aisha by visiting Jodie Bieber's website. Ms. Bieber also has two publications available for purchase: Soweto and Between Dogs and Wolves: Growing up with South Africa.