Celebrating the Beauty of Every Woman this International Women’s Day

For a few years, I have wanted to create images which celebrate the true beauty of every woman and this year I am finally making this a reality.

Thinking about why I want to create images of real women has made me think about why, as women, we can be so self-critical and unhappy about how we look. I have been self-critical for most of my life and I know many of my female friends are too. As I’ve got older, I find myself closely examining new wrinkles, whiskers, dark spots and my ever decreasing left eyebrow! My shape has changed too and my roots are more grey than ever!

I have found these changes hard to accept, especially as I see so many ‘perfect’ women my age in the media. I know (and can see) that many of them have succumbed to being stretched, plumped, filled and operated on, or they have been digitally enhanced and tweaked for print in magazines and on social media. As hard as I have found it, I have decided to try to accept ageing and the changes I see in myself and embrace them as being signs of experience and wisdom. Instead of buying an eyebrow pencil to even up my brows, I am enjoying the fact that right and left are different and that is something unique about me.

To be photographing women of all ages and from different walks of life is really inspiring for me. Some of the people coming in have been photographed by me before and others I have never met. As a photographer, there is a nervous excitement for me not knowing the person who is going to walk through the door to be photographed – not knowing what they look like, what they will be wearing and how they are feeling about having their portrait taken. I love working with people who don’t like having their photograph taken and I believe everyone can look great in portraits.

For this creative process I am asking the people involved to think about when they feel their most beautiful and powerful. What makes them feel that way? For me, I love wearing black and I have a pair of long boots which I always feel great in (they’re comfy too, so that’s a bonus!). I love wearing lipstick and always have done since I acquired my Mum’s Max Factor red lipstick in a fancy blue case when I was a teenager!

I will be taking portraits throughout March and will be creating a collection of images to share on social media.

If you are over 18 and would like to be part of this celebration of women, please get in touch;

Call me at the studio on 0115 9252725

Text me on 07808 620436

Email me at info@doubleimagephotography.co.uk

Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram