“I always had a fantasy of having a brother, particularly an older brother,” said Israeli-born, Brooklyn-based photographer Ayala Gazit. At the tender age of 12, her father told her she had a brother named James living in Australia, the result of a past relationship. Sadly, not long after this life-changing news, James committed suicide at the age of 20.

Upon Gazit’s first visit in 2009 to Western Australia, where James lived, she immediately started photographing his family, his environs and what he left behind. She also started to combine images, letters and portraits from her own past, particularly from her father. The series entitled Was it a Dream is Gazit’s exploration in trying to understand the life of someone she will never know.

Gazit recently exhibited Was it a Dream at Ballarat International Foto Biennale and Photoville NYC.

This post was contributed by photographer Anita Totha.