The different sides to strength in women

I was thinking of some images that I would like to create, what story I'd like to tell. I've had a few ideas for projects that I'm in various stages of. Some still only exist in my mind and it's about time to get them started.

After thinking up a view in my mind's eye, I called up a good friend who I thought would suit this image, right down to the concerned expression. We talked over the project concept and decided on poses. On a perfectly sunny and cloudy day in Oxford, we set to work creating stories.

I've had the idea of doing a few ongoing project. Ongoing because I will add to them as and when I can, but I'm not sure they will have a defined end point. One of the projects I came up with was about strong women. I wanted to do a series of portraits of women owning their space and commanding their destiny.

However, I didn't want to limit it to overt displays of strength, or the stereotypical masculine images of strength. You can be strong, do the hard but correct thing, and feel terrible while doing it. Or like leaving a long relationship that you realised was weakening you slowly like a disease, you did the strong thing but you still think about what you left and where you are going.

Because of these nuances, I wanted to start the series with a set of images of a lady on her journey. The decision has been made to go, to leave. The hard part is done. But questions still remain.

 ADP