It’s not every day that you find someone brave enough to quit their job and travel the world, all for the sole purpose of lifting other people up. But that’s just what photographer Mihaela Noroc did when she set off to create ‘The Atlas of Beauty.’
The 29-year-old left her home in Romania to follow her dream of seeing the world. Along the way, she discovered a new dream: to show the world that there isn’t just one definition of “beautiful.” Choosing to focus on young women, she started taking pictures that represented different cultures, styles, and the natural beauty of women as a gender.
Along the way, she visited 37 countries across 6 continents, and took hundreds of photographs. She captured the beauty of women she met on the street, and other’s she tracked down through social media. Her knowledge of five languages helped in her travels, as she convinced every day women to become her models.
“When I photograph a woman I talk a lot. I try to to make her feel special, proud and unique. I can get along in five languages and this helps me a lot, but in some countries, talking becomes body language,” she says, reported in The Telegraph. She focuses on natural beauty, preferring to shoot the women with little to no make-up, and in their natural habitats.
“My goal is to continue and take photos of women from each country of the globe, making “The Atlas Of Beauty” a mirror of our diverse societies and an inspiration for people that try to remain authentic.”
“I prefer to photograph natural faces, without a lot of make-up, and to capture that moment of sincerity and serenity that is so specific for women.”
“Global trends make us look and behave the same, but we are all beautiful because we are different. In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder is always somebody else.”
“Sometimes I have only 30 seconds to make a portrait, because I meet an interesting woman, by chance, on the street.”
“Through The Atlas of Beauty, I wish to compare the faces of the world and to show that all the women from my photos have something beautiful.”
Though Noroc has captured many young women over the last two years, she knows the project is not done yet. Recently, she has raised over $35,000 to continue her journey through her Indiegogo page. She writes, “Together, we can show to the world that beauty is everywhere.” And, if the first half of her project is any indication of the work she will continue to do, that statement is definitely true.
[Photo credit: The Telegraph]
