Sara: *laughs* “Umm I don’t know… Because I was born like that, that’s why…” *laughs* “… I have nice teeth, I think. My hair is straight. But like, yours is pretty too even if you don’t have straight hair…I am beautiful because I am a real person and I’m not fake. I think I wear nice clothes? I think I have a good heart. What else is there? My eyebrows are nice. My lashes are long. ”
Monami: “Because of my smile and my personality… *laughs* Also because I’m very loving and very caring. I got pretty eyes, you know? And I have really nice eyebrows. And I have good friends that bring out the best in me.”
Ayesha: “I’m beautiful because I’m authentic. I’m true to myself. I’m honest, I try to be honest. I try to be sweet to other people, I don’t take advantage of others. I never would take advantage of anybody.”
Koula: “Oh… That’s a tough question, I don’t think I’m beautiful. *laughs* Oh boy. I think when you have a good heart, it shows in your face. And it makes you more beautiful. Miserable people, they usually have a different attitude to life. A sour face. I believe [you should] have a beautiful soul.”
Voula: “[Only you see me as] beautiful [I’ve told you this before!]”
The question I asked all my participants was “Why are you beautiful?”. It yielded great answers and big smiles. I didn’t reveal the question to my participants beforehand, only asking it during the photo-shoot. I feared this may have unnerved the participants, so I got all of them to sit down, and I took a few shots before I asked the question in hopes to make them all more comfortable. For my studio lighting, I used one hard light, and one diffused light because I think it produced the right amount of contrast and values on the face. The light didn’t create zero shadows, but it also didn’t create very harsh shadows either. Shadows are necessary to add depth and contrast, but I didn’t want very dark shadows because I feel that this creates a more mysterious or somber picture. The combination of more neutral lighting and the fact that I photographed my subjects from the bust and up was purposefully done because I wanted to focus on their smiles. The photographs of my mother and aunt were taken by natural afternoon light.
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