series created by Ingrid Coles for International Women’s Day. Stripped of excess and distraction, each image centers entirely on the woman in front of the lens.
her gaze, her stillness, her presence.
The photographs were taken on a 1950s Hasselblad 500C medium format film camera, a deliberate choice that shapes the tone of the work. Medium format film holds detail with a quiet honesty in every line, every shift of light rendered with depth and subtlety. The square frame offers balance and restraint, allowing the subject to exist without visual noise. Each woman stands before a soft linen white sheet, gently lit. The fabric’s natural texture brings warmth and quiet dimension, creating a backdrop that feels intimate rather than staged. It does not compete; it supports. It holds the subject in light.
Working in monochrome removes the pull of color and trend. What remains is contrast light against shadow, strength against softness. In this simplicity, expression becomes landscape, and the eyes carry the narrative.
To accompany each portrait, Ingrid asked a single question: “What does femininity mean to you?”
The answers form the emotional core of the project. Some speak of resilience and power. Others of tenderness, fluidity, or self-definition. Together, they reveal femininity not as a fixed idea, but as something lived, shaped, and continually evolving.
“I Am Woman” is both document and reflection. a meeting of traditional film photography and personal voice, where image and word stand side by side, inviting us to look closer and listen more carefully.
