Silverheads from Sari Goodfriend

Many photographers have personal projects they work on, whether to counter the work they do for pay, or to continue something that is close to their heart but might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It doesn’t seem to be hard to find things to photograph, but often there seems to be little thought given to subject matter.

Anyone can photograph a dog, but can you offer us a new way of looking at the dog? Coming up with a unique idea that can set you apart as a photographer is a culmination of several key things: personal curiosity, intense observation, creative inspiration, and purposeful thought.



What I love about Sari Goodfriends’ “Silverheads” project is both its delightful premise and it’s respect for her subjects. While most of society and most of the media ignore woman after they’re in their mid-thirties, Goodfriend not only delights in older women, but also elevates them in a classic way that makes me so pleased.

By focusing on the beauty of not only their hair, but also the women themselves, you cannot help but be drawn to them. I love the way Goodfriend has created diptychs and triptychs, showing the women full on and from the back. It is like looking into a three-way mirror to see a person from all angles.

Too often the work I see is very familiar—-young women in bored or stunned poses that focus on either their beauty or their sexuality. Sari has chosen what seems to be a simple conceit, and yet it is as fresh as any portraiture I have seen recently, and certainly some of the only portraiture I have seen that celebrates women without prejudice, without judgment, and certainly without hair dye.

See more of Sari's work here.