Why The Ladies?
I went through a life-changing break-up and the women around me rallied to give me endless support. As I emerged from that fog, I wanted to thank the women in my life by photographing them and telling their stories. A lot of the time, we look to famous people for inspiration. We spend too much time praising and idolising people we’re never going to meet. Why can’t the person you idolise be your housemate? I wanted to highlight that the most important people to look up to are the people in your own life.
I asked friends and family to volunteer, and I photographed them in a comfortable setting and asked them to answer a selection of 52 questions – some deep, some short and some funny. Initially, after being inspired on International Women’s Day, I photographed 52 women – one portrait and interview a week for a year. But now there are over 150 women and counting across a wide range of ages, generations, shapes, colours and locations as part of The Ladies.
I want to encourage discussion around what defines an artistic portrait. I believe that smiling portraits of loved ones can be art. Happiness is art. It’s just as intriguing why a woman is smiling in a photo then if she is staring off into the distance. I want to know why she is smiling, why is she comfortable in that moment and what is she thinking about. It’s about highlighting the beauty in those we love by empowering them to love images of themselves. I shoot in black and white because this allows the background to fade away and I have a chance to capture a glimpse into their soul. I want to show off those I love and remind them how worthy they are.
Basically, I’m really passionate about taking photos of other women; making sure they love the photos of themselves, making sure they are comfortable in front of the camera, making it easy, simple and no-fuss.
I have produced a book featuring the photos and the interviews with these women, but I feel incredibly strong about having these photos up on exhibition walls so that my ladies know that they are worthy of being art, hence having three exhibitions. The project is as much about me photographing them as what the ladies get out of it – a chance to love themselves photographically and through their own words. The best feedback from the ladies has been how partaking has crystallised ‘what is truly valuable and important’ in their lives and that while they previously had felt too timid to pose in front of a camera, now they wanted to do it more! The quote that inspires this project is below and this series features women of all ages including three generations of my family and several mother-daughter pairs, women of different shapes and colours and women from around the world.
The Ladies collection is driven by the desire to give each of my ladies a chance to empower herself by stepping in front of my lens and by recording her written thoughts in their interviews. The Ladies series can never truly be complete for there will always be an endless list of ladies that I’d be honoured to capture in a frame.
