Stéphane pauses in front of the Popil Gallery before leaving for his new home in Washington DC.

Showing now in Phnom Penh is a unique opportunity to see life through Cambodian eyes,

with more than 100 student photos on display at the French Cultural Center (CCF).

The exhibition is the work of 14 Cambodian students who spent a year studying with

Stéphane Janin, a photographer and former photojournalism professor at the

Royal University of Phnom Penh. This is the final show for Janin, 37, who arrived

Cambodia in 1990, and is the former owner of Popil Photo Gallery.

Before departing, he told the Post his main motivation for the show was to free the

minds of students. "Students in Cambodia usually did what they were told to,

but not what they really wanted to," Janin said. "I wanted to share my

17 years experience in Cambodian photojournalism with my students." Janin said

all the photos are the work of the students, and each holds a different vision.

He said the students found it difficult to express their emotions and opinions, but

they gained the confidence to photograph what they truly wanted to.

"It's impossible to tell which my favorites are as they are all photos from

the heart," he said.