Artist's Statement

Nataly Rader

I began to photograph this project with an intention to reflect my life as well as to create a personal body of photographic art. I started by capturing women in their natural environments, which made me realize through our shared emotions, how little we differed. With one photo session after another, I started to lose my original sense and purpose of this work. In these moments of capturing other women and experiencing their raw emotions, I felt my own feelings surface. Two years later, in meeting another female photographer and sharing these moments with her, she spoke only one word: “secret.” Shocked and relieved, I knew she understood not just these women and their vulnerable moments, but also me. This work is not just about women and the secrets we keep, but also about rules and habits built within our society. Fear. Shame. Judgement.