My project for course: Introduction to Conceptual Portrait Photography

"Beyond the butterfly stage"

This is taken from a series on ageing, menopause, and femininity.
I find it somehow liberating that there ist no shared beauty-standard for ageing women - they are categorically pre-excluded from being beautyful due to having aged.
Taking my cues from artists like Rosy Martin and her Courageous Agers project, I search my own way into ageing. The title is a nod toward the story of the caterpillar, who, being plump and ugly, turns into a beautiful butterfly - and then what?

The image shows a non-beauty-retouched woman nearing her 50. year in life.
She is trying on ways to carry herself, the make-up rather emphasizing the aged skin than covering it up. There is grace, there is uncertainty, there is tension and tiredness. Even the background appears uneven, cloudy. Nothing is settled, noting is clear.
Yet there is the direct gaze, and beautiful light to bathe in.

I add to this final image my compass and mindmap, which were enormously helpful for the process.

I am Nike Gais, photographer in Münster, Germany. I specialize in portrait and nude images.