Local Photographer Presents '50 Women Over 50' In Winnetka

WINNETKA, IL — A local photographer's passion project is on display this month on the North Shore as dozens of women stepped out their comfort zones and took a chance to present themselves in a new way.

Highland Park-based photographer Julie Kaplan show "50 Women over 50" runs through Sept. 18 at the Winnetka Community House, 620 Lincoln Ave. Sponsored by the North Shore Art League, the show features portraits of some of the 85 local women Kaplan photographed as part of the project.

Kaplan decided to launch the portrait series after experiencing terror as she was about to be photographed by another photographer at a workshop, she said in an artist's statement.

"I was overweight, I had let my wardrobe go, I wasn’t caring about my appearance, and I felt lost as a woman. This other photographer insisted that I get a new headshot while I was at her studio, and I reluctantly agreed," Kaplan said.

"We planned the session with the wardrobe and accessories, a professional makeup artist made me feel beautiful and it ended up transforming my perception of myself," she added. "I thought I was a nobody, a mom, a divorced woman, just trying to make things work. Just getting by. And there was something about that photo shoot that showed me that I was still in there and that I could feel good about myself again."

Participation was available for $300 via a promotional price, according to her website, which sought to include women of all backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, sizes and shapes.

"It is quite therapeutic to do something so vulnerable - you put yourself in front of a photographer’s camera, you are quite nervous and don’t know what to expect and then you learn to trust," Kaplan said. "You realize through the session that the experience makes you feel confident and beautiful. you just forgot who you were and then you celebrate the awakening of who you thought you lost.”