Inner and Outer Beauty
The theme for March, 2025
Inner and Outer Beauty
This photograph was taken at Kirstenboch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa. . (I will supply the sculptor’s name in the future, unfortunately I was not able to get it.) It reminded me that photography as art, and our inner world of creativity, should be linked to each other.
Well done for your brilliant entries for February 2025, the hunt for beauty was successful, so successful that I have decided to continue the theme with a slight twist.
What is photography at its essence? I guess that you will have as many answers for that as there are participants. This month (March 2025) I want to link the search for beauty with a search for beauty within.
What does that mean?
This is based on a theory that all of us at the very core of our being, are beautiful. In my opinion, it’s important to recognise this beauty, and in order to do this, we have to get face the challenge sometimes of getting through many life- layers. We do need to find that place though, because it makes life meaningful. It means that our self-identity is a positive one, we regard ourselves as worthwhile beings, we are more settled in life.
“Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart.” Kahill Gibran
What’s the photographic project then?
Photograph any scene that you can say is beautiful, but in doing that, allow it to speak to you and to the core of goodness that is the centre of your being. Look at the subject for long enough to associate it with your own goodness. Write about your experience when you post your image. Your experience can also reflect the struggle to do this. Share your heart and share your struggle, if necessary.
I know that many of you will battle with the project this month. I want to assure you that you are lovely within, and that the lovely things you see and photograph are linked to your essential being.
Here is a selection of photographers who have explored beauty beyond the superficial, capturing the essence of humanity, emotion, and existence.
1. Imogen Cunningham (1883–1976)
Summary: A pioneer in photography, Cunningham explored beauty in the natural world, human form, and everyday moments. Her work spans delicate floral studies, evocative portraits, and nudes that convey a deep appreciation for life’s textures and subtleties.
Learn more about her work
2. Dorothea Lange (1895–1965)
Summary: Best known for her documentary photography during the Great Depression, Lange’s portraits show the resilience and inner beauty of people facing hardship. Her famous image, Migrant Mother, captures a moment of vulnerability and strength that transcends mere appearance.
Learn more about her work
3. Peter Lindbergh (1944–2019)
Summary: A master of black-and-white photography, Lindbergh rejected excessive retouching and makeup, instead focusing on raw, natural beauty. His portraits of women, including supermodels, often emphasized personality, age, and experience rather than perfection.
Learn more about his work
4. Sebastião Salgado (b. 1944)
Summary: Salgado’s work reveals the profound beauty in human struggle, nature, and culture. His series Genesis explores untouched landscapes and indigenous communities, while Workers and Exodus highlight the dignity of labor and migration.
Learn more about his work
5. André Kertész (1894–1985)
Summary: Kertész saw beauty in everyday life, capturing fleeting moments of grace, shadow, and form. His poetic compositions, often melancholic and introspective, highlight an inner world beyond the visible.
Learn more about his work
6. Edward Weston (1886–1958)
Summary: Weston's work is deeply meditative, finding beauty in the curves of a pepper, the lines of a human body, and the textures of sand dunes. His ability to reveal the essence of an object or person through light and form is unparalleled.
Learn more about his work
7. Saul Leiter (1923–2013)
Summary: Leiter’s quiet, painterly color photography captures the intimate beauty of urban life. His work is deeply emotional, with layers of reflections, soft light, and glimpses of people lost in thought.
Learn more about his work
Each of these photographers pursued beauty in a way that went beyond surface-level aesthetics, focusing instead on truth, emotion, and the essence of life. Would you like recommendations based on a particular theme?
