Reflections of Beauty

Reflection of Beauty is a project I started about 15 years ago. It began as a series called Five Minutes With, which was essentially five minutes with a model in front of the camera. They came to the studio wearing whatever they wanted, with no professional makeup. It was a chance for them to be photographed as they were—to express their own perception of how they wanted to be seen, rather than how a stylist, makeup artist, lighting team, or Photoshop might shape their image.

It was a raw, honest portrait session centred around one question:  

“What does beauty mean to you?”

A woman with a shaved head and a burn scar on her scalp, wearing a dark green long-sleeve turtleneck, sitting at a wooden table against a plain brown background.

Portrait of Katie

Beauty to me is owning what makes you unique.


Learning to become confident with what makes you different to everybody else and running with it. - Katie Oakley

In May 2022 I underwent Craniectomy surgery to remove an infected titanium plate from my skull, the follow on from this involved me having to live life in a medical helmet for 8 months to protect my brain.
My Neuro and Plastic surgeons asked that I shave my head for the reconstruction Cranioplasty procedure to fit a new plate in the skull defect along with the rotation of my scalp to replace damaged tissue and a split skin graft taken from my thigh.


The graft site on my scalp will never be capable of growing hair as it does not contain follicles to do so, this is something I am learning to accept.


Some would call it a permanent disfigurement to my appearance, I like to say ‘it’s a story to tell’
Essentially my body is the vessel which is carrying me through life, the way it looks does not affect who I am as a person or my purpose in this second chance I have been given.


The most beautiful people I know are the ones who have shown me so much support, love and compassion on this journey I have been on.

Portrait of Katie continues to win many awards including The Lucie Foundation Hidden Beauty Portrait award and a finalist at Sydney’s HEAD ON Festival.

At first, the answers were simple — “To me, beauty is a great red lipstick.,” for example.

But over the years, those answers have evolved into much more complex reflections, mirroring the growing complexity of that very question:


What does beauty mean to you? What does beauty mean to all of us?

A woman with dark hair in a sleek style wearing a dark, sequined spaghetti strap dress with sheer gloves, standing in front of a warm-colored background.

Onella

“Beauty to me feels like breaking free from society’s rules. It’s about embracing our intricacies and organic expression rather than striving for perfection. I find beauty in the organic shapes, patterns and details of nature and often remind myself that I too am part of nature, not seperate to it. The patterns of my Vitiligo are a reflection of how connected I am to the natural world and the inspiration for my definition of beauty.”

Onella Muralidharan is a model and fashion influencer in Melbourne Australia.

This image featured in front of the Sydney Opera House to celebrate Onella at the @lorealaunz runway show in Sydney Australia @lorealparis worthit

Woman in a wheelchair wearing a large white and navy hat decorated with pink and white flowers. She is wearing sunglasses, an oxygen mask, a white sheer blouse with pearl accents, and a navy skirt with floral patterns. The background shows trees.

Amy Evans

Amy Evans is an Instagram fashion and disability content creator with over 20,000 followers. By sharing insights into her life and her wonderful race day outfits, she uses this platform to break down disability stereotypes, particularly those in the fashion industry.

To me, there’s always been the conversation around disability identity and whether you see yourself as a person with a disability (people first language) or a disabled person (identity first language).

However, for me, identity encompasses more than just what people see. My identity is my passion of fashion, my love of horse racing, being a small business owner, an Instagram content creator and even down to small things like my sense of humour. It’s about breaking down stereotypes, including in the fashion and beauty industry, it’s about being a role model and it’s about living a life that has a positive impact on others. My identity is “Amy”!

A woman with a shaved head sitting on the floor against a dark background, wearing a swimsuit.

Bell

"Beauty is radical acceptance, I think its radically accepting who you are as a person and after that happens anything is possible and the world is so much fuller"

This image was shortlisted for the @productionparadise international spotlight awards for beauty photography

A woman with short, bleached blonde hair and dark skin looking at the camera, wearing a black shirt with a tattoo on her chest, standing in front of a dark background.

“Love yourself first” that’s what’s beautiful..

I have this written on my chest so that everyday I look in the mirror I can remind myself of these words. @itsvakoo

  • Black and white portrait of a woman with voluminous curly hair, wearing a sleeveless, open-front top, large hoop earrings, and tattoos on her arms and chest. She is posing with her hand on her waist against a plain dark background.
  • Black and white photo of a fit woman with long dark hair wearing a sports bra and high-waisted leggings, crossing her arms in front of her, standing against a dark textured background.
  • Black and white photo of a young woman with curly hair in a messy bun, wearing a Nike sports bra, standing against a dark background, with her arms crossed and a confident expression.
  • A woman with curly hair in a tank top and leggings sits on the ground, resting her head on her hand, with a dark background.
  • A black-and-white portrait of a woman with long, wavy hair, looking to the side.
  • Black and white portrait of a young woman with long hair, wearing a high-neck sweater, looking over her shoulder with a neutral expression.

Leaning on my greatest strength as a photographer and my internal need to connect with other women on what our perspective of beauty is..  

Reflection of Beauty has become something far greater.

It’s an exploration of life—how we see ourselves, and how the world sees us.

This is an ongoing project…