Released Youth: fashion portraits of ‘volunteer’ older models that show age is but a number

In their series, Released Youth, Italian photographer Ludovica Anzaldi and Korean art director Min Seon Kim capture the fashionable and quirky qualities of six older women, volunteering to pose for the camera in a Parisian park.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

These spontaneous, chance encounters took place during a sunny day at Buttes Chaumont, where the pair approached these women individually, asking if they wanted to be photographed and styled by her team, which included makeup artist, YOYO; hairdresser Waka Adachi; set designer Clément Pelisson and videographer, Nadia Mob as well as assistants Thomas Vilaca and Paula Coderch Blasco.

"We experimented with the idea of playing with each different woman, styling them for clothes, makeup and hair," explains Ludovica. "We focused on their different characters and life stories. In details, especially for women, senility is a melancholic phase of life, made sadder because of a society imposing us to always appear young.

"It is a phase of life composed of the awareness of what people can not do anymore, during which time passes slowly, too slowly, approaching the future without a destination."

Given the opportunity to have a little fun, Ludovica and Min's willing models embraced every moment of the random fashion shoot, "That day, they freed themselves, felt loved and desired. They told us before leaving the shoot, ‘Vous avez fait ma journée normale différente'. Which translates as – you made my normal day different."

All the pictures were taken with a Hasselblad 500. Discover more of Ludovica Anzaldi's work at www.ludovicaanzaldi.com.

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