Photographer Alyscia Cunningham believes “true beauty is natural,” and seeks to capture it at every age and stage of life in her new documentary picture book, Feminine Transitions. She will speak on this endeavor and the book tonight at 6 p.m. at the Women’s National Democratic Club.
Feminine Transitions highlights a series of “female faces between the ages of seven weeks and 103 years,” completely makeup-free. Pictures in the book aim to exhibit the beauty and honesty of the photographer’s subjects, and short blurbs on each page provide a thoughtful introduction. As an artist, Cunningham specializes in portraiture and plays with light, dark, and shadow, which she believes helps to encourage a deeper interaction between the viewer and the photograph. Her work, much of which can be seen on her blog and Facebook, focuses primarily on African American women and families, and she says she plans to pursue more photography books on feminine images.
Despite Cunningham’s penchant for natural beauty in Feminine Transitions, it is not meant to undermine women who don’t go natural — “it’s not that [I don’t believe in makeup]” Cunningham explains, “I just really believe that we should embrace the woman that we see when we look in the mirror.” Many women she approached declined to be photographed bare-faced, which the artist found interesting and says made her question “when does that perception of ourselves change, and how do we become so uncomfortable with ourselves, to see ourselves naturally?”
Cunningham will address topics like this and others relating to women across generations and perceptions of beauty. Tickets for the event are $15 and include hors d’oeuvres; the book can be ordered there for $50. Registration is requested and can be completed here. Five percent of book sale proceeds will be donated to empowerment organizations for women and girls.
Originally from New York, Cunningham is now a D.C. local. Her photos have been featured by National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and the Smithsonian Institution, and in The Best of Photography 2011, Beauty Around Us, Endless Journeys and Homes of Color Magazine.
