Self-portraits by 9 female photographers that explore their idea of beauty

Shaghayegh Shayankah, Bushehr

“Beauty is one of the essential dimensions of life in the world I inhabit. In all my endeavours, I have sought to showcase beauty, as it has a profound impact on my audience. When capturing subjects through my lens, attention to factors such as light, form and the essence of life itself enhance the beauty of the image. When I gaze through my camera’s viewfinder, I seek the depth and inner identity of myself.”

Menty Jamir, Mokokchung and Delhi

“It took a lot of unlearning to fully embrace beauty again. Growing up, I struggled to accept society’s definitions of beauty—the polished and curated versions—rather than appreciating authenticity, rawness and presence. Nothing moves me as intensely as nature does. It is in the simple quiet of the natural world that I truly feel alive. If a photograph evokes any kind of emotion, it becomes beautiful. This holds true, whether I am viewing a photograph I made or one made by someone else.”

Mikhailia Petersen, Cape Town

“Beauty is the courage to be vulnerable and authentic. It’s the honesty in a quiet moment or the resilience etched into someone’s face. Through the lens, I explore my duality—strength in survival and vulnerability in healing. In my work, I try to reflect beauty by focusing on the layers of my subjects, such as their histories, emotions and environments. Whether it’s a still life or a portrait, I seek to uncover beauty that’s less about perfection and more about presence.”

Zayira Ray, New York

“I have come to understand beauty through reflections: the way I observe myself in a mirror, how light bounces through the world around me and how I see others, our gazes intertwined. Some- times, beauty reveals itself immediately; other times, it must be discovered. Reflections can be elusive, appearing only with ample light or after shifting one’s viewpoint. I believe that beauty can be encountered anywhere, and in a single moment, it has the power to reflect our innermost longings, musings and sense of self.”

Tara Laure Clair Sood, London and Paris

“My idea of beauty is constantly changing, but I believe it’s an energy above all else. A beautiful picture is when I manage to find some symbiosis between the constructed, staged elements and the subject’s truth. I think beauty emerges in the moments a subject or scene reveals a quiet vulnerability, a lack of resistance. It looks like a little ‘glitch’ in behaviour. My work feels like a way to honour these revelations, which are ultimately the most human things about us.”

Tanima Mehrotra, New York and Los Angeles

“I look for beauty in everything— it’s everywhere, but not everyone sees it. Growing up, I would watch the women in my family get ready, especially my grandmother and the way she wore her bangles and big bindi. I remember looking at myself in her mirror and feeling like I was beautiful because she was. I have her eyes. I use my work to reflect people back to themselves.”