Reclaiming Beauty

"Life begins, at the end of your comfort zone"

A little while ago I was tentatively approached by a stranger

She was a doting mother & a much loved wife

Although adored by clan, she had lost her self esteem & was struggling to see her beauty

And that's when she found me

She told me that for several years, she had been carrying a deep shame about her body

She told me she wanted to make a series a pictures, that re-claimed her feminine beauty

And she felt it was important to have a masculine artists eye

The journey from initial meeting to final presentation of the works, proved to be deeply healing and transformational for both model & artist

She wrote to me afterwards and is happy for me to share her words with you here


'Being supported, empowered & appreciated by a man with no agenda, is very powerful and it's effects are far-reaching. Your beautiful old camera and discerning eye found & captured the beauty in my body. In the mirror, every day, I see only my imperfections, my perceived misshapen ugliness. The pictures don’t shy away from these areas but they put them into a new, compassionate context. It's extraordinarily powerful to be laid bare, to be fully accepted & supported in all your fragility.”


This project is shot on a large format 5x4 Wista field camera, using kodak sheet film

The b&w contact hand-prints are produced by Jonty Sale, a master printer in his dark room. And are presented in a one-off hand-made box

Each image is a tangible work of Art

If anyone is interested in the Reclaiming Beauty Project, I hold a discreet space to discuss

These sessions are a sensitive collaboration between model & artist