Gaya Shiva, As She Grows (PEOPLE 2023)

The writer and psychoanalyst Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes described with great acuity and insight the indomitable inner spirit of women, and the intrinsic desire to return to the wilds of the natural world to reclaim our voices and our stories. In acknowledging this, we must recognise the value of women at every age and every stage of life - the playful curiosity of youth and the dignity of age. This series seeks to capture the open-hearted freedom of a woman in the dazzling expanse of the natural world, reflected in captivating moments across her journey through life as she engages and irreversibly changes the world around her in greater and greater ways. The colour and laughter of the young blossoms, the steady growth of the branches, and the gentle cascade of leaves, each leading joyfully to the woman, as she is at the zenith of her glory, standing proudly in all her magnificence, wisdom, and grace. My greatest learning through the lens with this collection is the surety that women are not flowers - ephemeral and fading - but, like the ageless trees, tower to the sky with unshakeable strength, unflinching courage, and unassailable grace. We are the beating heart of our world, our cultures, our societies, and our futures.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.