A couple of months ago I shared my first in an ongoing personal project series— a study in color.

Well, it’s mostly a study in color.

This shoot was also a study in beauty, cultural definitions of beauty, and heavily leaned on the phrase “better with age.” I suppose all of these shoots are studies in beauty, but this one delightfully pushed the boundaries of perfection that our culture so frequently applauds. Everywhere we look, beauty is defined by youth. Actresses I grew up watching seem frozen in time, disturbingly ageless. And yet we all age (at a steady, unchangeable pace). Why is the beauty that comes with age so rarely held up? On the whole, we have become like C. S. Lewis‘ description of Susan Pevensie in The Last Battle— “She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she’ll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. He whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one’s life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.”

What foolishness.

I knew I wanted to do an editorial study in black & white color theory. When I mentioned the idea to my friend Veronica, she jumped on it and suggested working with an older model, a “silver fox.” And as soon as she spoke, I knew this would be more than a color study, that it would carry much more meaning and depth than a simple statement about contrast.

I sincerely hope this shoot moves viewers to embrace a different view on age— to rejoice in the gift of passing years instead of dreading time’s progress; to see lines and creases in the skin and remember with satisfaction the laughter, the tears, and the hard work that put them there; to notice new silver hairs and take pride in the crown of wisdom that graces your head; to steward the body with pride and dignity, regardless of how it looks— young or old, it was made in God’s own image and is worthy of respect.

This was my inspiration board:

The following creative team pulled together to make this shoot possible. Thank you to all of you. I’m so proud of what we made and the message we share.

Stylist & creative director: Veronica Rogers  |  Hair & Makeup: Claudine Fay  |  Venue & Florals: Sweet Root Village  |  Attire: Louiza Babouryan  |  Rentals: Something Vintage  |  Styling pieces: Felt & Fat

Also, Veronica wrote a beautiful piece about this editorial on her blog, which I recommend reading.