The Fabulous Over 40 Campaign Marion is a warm and spontaneous woman who started her real estate business 4 years ago. The past two and a half years have been tough for her, especially with the unexpected death of her soulmate, her mother. Despite her challenges, Marion believes that every bad event in life gives us the strength we need to make the next beautiful event possible. I love her favourite quote by Betty Friedan on aging: 'Aging is not "lost youth" but a new stage of opportunity and strength' Her future dreams include getting her pilot's license - amazing! This is what she said about her photoshoot: "It was an incredible experience and I got to know myself in a different way. I always say that I am a beautiful person inside and not on the outside. But the photoshoot showed me that I can also be beautiful on the outside."

The 40 over 40 Women's Portrait Campaign Ming is calm and patient and has the most radiant and sparkly eyes. She came in for a shoot with her daughter, Tzoe and her grandchildren joined in for some shots at the end - you can see how they just adore her. If your friends/family had to describe you in 3-4 words, what would they say? Friendly, caring, patient & loyal What would you say is your best emotional quality? Patience What is your occupation and how to you like to spend your free time? I used to be a stay at home mom, when my kids were still little, now I have grandchildren. My hobbies, include diamond painting, listening to music and my volunteer work What are you most proud of? Still being able to do everything myself, I want to. What is your favourite poem, quote or saying? Doe maar normaal, dan ben je al gek genoeg. (We didn’t know how to translate this in English) What advice would you give your 20-year old self looking back? Your opinion matters and is of value. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion. You are stronger than you think. What are your thoughts on aging? With age come insights

This woman was just gorgeous to photograph with so much exuberance and energy just flowing out of her. After going through a stressful divorce, Lutasha contacted me to do a shoot as a celebration of herself and her strength and to regain a sense of herself after being married for so long. To mark the beginning of a new and amazing chapter in her life. She came into my studio to have her hair and make-up done and brought in a few different outfits to play around with. She also brought in some bubbles to play with as a representation of her inner child... and I think it worked so beautifully!

Corne and Angelique are a very stylish and glamourous couple - it was so much fun having them in studio. Angelique is the such a sweet woman and is a complete Marilyn Monroe lookalike.

I photographed Denise and her beautiful family a few years ago at their home in Joburg. This time they where in Cape Town for a weekend and wanted some updated portrait photographs. We did half of our shoot in my studio and then moved onto location for something different and to show some of Cape Town. These are some of the portrait shots. I absolutely love photographing this family - not only are they all just gorgeous but they are some of the nicest people I've had the priviledge of meeting.

Nikki is an actress in Cape Town who needed some updated headshots for her agency since she had chopped her hair off since her last photoshoot. She brought two outfits into studio and had her hair and make-up done by the lovely Tarryn Fox.

David Hufton was recently appointed as joint CEO of Sygnia in Cape Town. Their marketing department hired me to create some business portraits for PR use as well as for his online presence. I visited their offices in Greenpoint to create some different portraits and then we also did a session in my home studio in the Southern Suburbs for some more polished business headshots.

Delaney is a pilates and yoga and instructor and while it's true that she has a flipping rocking body, she is also one of the nicest, most gentle, warm, sincere and lovely humans you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. As she is so fluid in her movements and comfortable with her body, we played around with creating some tasteful near-nude shots and something with more of a 'boudoir' feel more than classic portraits.

I photographed Amelia and Sam's wedding way back in 2011 and now Amelia is a mom to two little girls. She came into my studio for a shoot in celebration of her 40th birthday this year. She had her hair and make-up done by Delaney Siebert and then brought in a few different outfits and a hat that we played around with. Sam and her daughters, Luna and Summer, joined in for the last bit of the shoot to get some updated family portraits too.

Karen contacted me to for a portrait session to capture some beautiful headshots that she can send to agencies... and also as a celebration of herself and the fact that she was turning 50 years old. Yes, 50 years old - I mean, how gorgeous is she??

Grace's husband Paddy contacted me at the end of last year to purchase a gift voucher for Grace as a Christmas gift. She came in for her session a while back and I had so much fun photographing her gentle confidence and joy and sense of fun that naturally flows out of her. She brought in loads of different outfits and we included some more 'boudoir' kind of shots too.. as a gift to Paddy. :-) He joined in at the end of the shoot and we took a few couple shots and some portraits of him too. Thanks Grace for letting me share your gorgeousness!

Niccola contacted me at the end of last year to do a shoot for her to commemorate her 50th birthday. She has done photoshoots at the start of each decade of her life - what a wonderful idea. She didn't want any make-up done or any photoshop retouching as she wanted this shoot to be a true reflection of who she is at this age and who she has become. She brought in 3 simple outfits and a tiny purse of accessories and we spent a fun afternoon in my studio. I absolutely love photographing women over 40 - there is a certain confidence and self acceptance that seems to come with time that is so beautiful to capture. Niccola is completely comfortable in her own skin and just lovely to photograph.

Sue came into my studio a little bit earlier this year for a portrait shoot. She started off with having her hair and make-up done and then brought in some of her favourite dresses and outfits to get some different looks. Her gorgeous little daughter, Holly, joined in at the end of the session to get some beautiful mother and daughter images of the two of them.

The 40-over-40 Women's Portrait Campaign I mey Debbie many years ago back in 2008 when I photographed a maternity session in Cape Town. I've been priviledged to capture her family over the years and have loved watching her girls grow. This time she came from London to be a part of the 40-over40 campaign and I was so excited to capture her in this way as she is such a gorgeous, strong and fabulous woman. Her daughters, Lerato and Nia joined in for some shots but this shoot was mainly about her. If your friends/family had to describe you in 3-4 words, what would they say? Gracious Stubborn Brave What would you say is your best emotional quality? I am driven by a sense of purpose and fairness, that often involves having difficult conversations with people. I am able to do this with a strong sense of empathy for the human being across the way from me and delivering messages in a calm and clear way. What is your occupation and how to you like to spend your free time? I am a Partnerships Director in a global inclusion consultancy and a Non-Eceutive Director of a legal services provider. I like to spend my free time with my family, hanging out and relaxing together. We enjoy eating out, watching movies, shopping and travelling together. I also really enjoy time out in nature - one of my favourite pastimes is walking our dog Biscuit in the woods. I am not myself if I am not exercising, so this is a regular fixture in my daily routine, especially on my Peloton bike! What are you most proud of? I am proud of: - the life that my husband and I have built in a foreign country we now call home without any family and support structures, and to do so raising our children together - the young tweens my daughters are growing up to be - they push me to be a better person everyday - the way that I have learnt from my many mistakes to be a better person in the world and to show up for people where I can - my professional achievements, after an extensive career break - proof that you can get back on track and that mature professionals don't need to be wasted talent - the risks I've taken in my life, sometimes not really knowing where life is going to lead me, but trusting that the universe has my back What is your favourite poem, quote or saying? "When somebody shows you who they are, believe them the first time" Maya Angelou What advice would you give your 20-year old self looking back? Say yes to everything that is going to grow you, even when it seems like it's going to be a struggle! Throw yourself into life with the mindset that there is more good in the world than bad, and that when the bad happens, it's to grow you - be open to it all. When you entered your 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's or beyond, what did you find were the most significant or poignant changes? Health - it's the most important thing, looking after myself and putting my health first has never been more important and listening to my body is everything to me. Family - you don't get to choose them, but they are the grounding force in my life - they come first always. Relationships - nurture the ones that give you energy, eliminate the ones that don't. Work - you spend 80% of your time working - make sure you're happy and doing work that matters - always back yourself, otherwise, no-one else will. What are your thoughts on aging? Aging is a beautiful gift - I am learning so much being older, getting wiser and feeling more confident about who I am and how I look and show up in the world. Do you still have a dream or big goal that you would love to accomplish? What are the skills or things that you'd still love to learn? I would like to be a more present wife and mother! I have career aspirations that I would like to achieve and grow into a more senior role. I would like to learn a new language. I would like to get back to learning the piano. I would like to get fitter and stronger.

The 40-over-40 Women's Portrait Campaign Tzoe is warm, down-to-earth and organised. She does coaching for companies through playing with lego - how cool is that for a job? She came in as part of the 40-over-40 campaign firstly with her mom and then her children joined in for a few shots at the end of our session. If your friends/family had to describe you in 3-4 words, what would they say? Caring, open-minded, Genuine & generous, Rational. What is your occupation and how to you like to spend your free time? I am a freelance IT consultant and a workshop facilitator, I specialize in in-person workshops through play/games. In my free time, I love building LEGO models, playing board games (with my family) and going out for a bite What are you most proud of? In 2022, I am most proud of 3 things. 1. My mother. She never chooses anything for herself; she finally did and is coming to grow into this even more beautiful person. 2. My children, Chu Fei & Chu Kai. I am seeing that they are finding themselves a bit more every day and know that they are turning into wonderful people. 3. Starting my own business. After working for a company for so long, I have finally taken steps to start my own company with my business partner /work husband, Marcellino Larijn. What is your favourite poem, quote or saying? You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. ~ Dr. Seuss~ What advice would you give your 20-year old self looking back? Listen to your gut feeling, don't ignore it. You are good enough, don't let anyone tell you something else. What are your thoughts on ageing? Ageing is just another word for living ~ Cindy Joseph

Maya and Marijke are both such kind and gentle women. It was Maya's 50th birthday as well as Marijke's 76th birthday and they decided that it was time to celebrate themselves with a photo shoot. Maya's kids joined in for a few shots at the end of our session too.

I have photographed Justine several times over the past few years with her husband and little boy, Cameron. This time she came in for a portrait session on her own. We did some casual, glamourous and sexy images for her session.

Heather contacted me to create some personal branding-style headshots for her online presence for her new business and website. She doesn't wear a lot of make-up but I encouraged her to have her hair and make-up done as it adds such a polished and professional look to photos... and she still looks like herself. She brought in a few different looks and colours for her brand and website and I had so much fun hanging out with her and watching her enjoying lose her inhibitions and feel comfortable with herself and enjoy the shoot. Everyone who walks into my studio starts off feeling shy and tells me that they're 'terrible in photos' and I just love to relax people and draw them out of themselves.

Emma came in for portraits with her mom and dad before her end of school dance when she was all dressed up and looking beautiful. It is a beautiful idea to do a shoot at this time - to mark the end of a chapter.

We did this shoot to mark the end of a chapter ... Hannah finishing school and leaving her home and family in Joburg to explore the world on her own as a student in the Cape at Stellenbosch University. At only 18 years old, Hannah is so beautifully confident, mature and lovely. They both came into Cape Town to my studio and had their hair and make-up done and then I spent a bit of time photographing Hannah on her own, creating mother and daughter portraits and also some of Ang on her own. The rest of the family joined in at the end so we could get some portraits of the other kids and the family together. How lovely are these two women?

When Nadine first walked into my studio, she told me how she needed to lose a few kilos, how she is so unphotogenic and about how gorgeous her friend is. I was looking at her and thinking how lovely she is and think that she is incredibly photogenic and beautiful in front of the camera.

Angie needed some updated professional images and also wanted to do a shoot to celebrate herself in the middle of a journey of weight loss and accepting herself at the present moment.

I have known Christina for many years as she owns Wedding Concepts, luxury wedding planners in Cape Town. I photographed many of their most lavish and beautiful events over the years. She was diagnosed with cancer a few months before doing this shoot and had undergone successful chemotherapy treatment. For a woman who never wanted short hair, she wanted to do a shoot to embrace her new 'funky' hair and to celebrate her new-found health, her life and just herself and the beauty of being alive. She came to my studio to have her make-up done and then we played around with a few outfits that she brought along and different lighting and backgrounds.

Zanele came into my studio a few weeks ago for a make-over portrait session. She, as all women do, told me that she is not very photogenic but I think the pictures speak for themselves - she is gorgeous. She wanted a very simple shoot in terms of clothing and wardrobe... and she completely rocked it. Delaney Siebert did a beautiful job with her make-up. 

I've done a few shoots for Rennette over the years with her beautiful boy, Finn but this time she contacted me to photograph her on her own as a celebration of herself and her journey for her 41st birthday. Rather than having hair and make-up done and being overly-photoshopped, she wanted a more natural and raw shoot with some darker and moodier elements and her true self showing. Thank you Rennette for letting me share your photos with the world.

Regina, 51 If your friends/family had to describe you in 3-4 words, what would they say? sweet/ loving, caring, creative, chaotic What would you say is your best emotional quality? I always say to myself and others: 'Tomorrow is a new chance to do better', so maybe 'hopeful' is my quality I guess, or stay positive? What is your occupation and how to you like to spend your free time? I work at a textile workshop with people who have acquired brain damage, we work with substanable goods and sell them in a webshop and take personal orders. I also teach art at schools to stimulate creativity with textile and learn skills, and I'm a NLP coach, I work for a NLP Institute. What are you most proud of? Helping my kids through primary school; keep on believing in them/ us and stay persistant. It was a true nightmare! When a child is not average, teachers have their opinion, are not willing to see your child in total and do not listen to parents, that's a recipe for disaster... My oldest is higly gifted; made jigsaw of 100 pieces and could read & write when he was 4 by himself, not because we pushed him. My youngest truely hated school when she was 7 years old, screamed and cried every morning, she was diagnosed severe dyslectic when she was 11 so can you imagine every day at school you are confronted with somehing you can not and everyone else can... It's a kind of abuse, because even math is with words now, so if you can not get the calculation right out of the story you do not succeed at this school subject either. Luckily she is very creative and that became her main focus in school. What is your favourite poem, quote or saying? You always have a choice... This is one of NLP basic principles and you can apply it to everything. What advice would you give your 20-year old self looking back? Be thankful for all that's there, do not focus on all you're missing or that's not perfect. Things always can get worse, so be happy what's there, what you've got and what you look like! When you entered your 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's or beyond, what did you find were the most significant or poignant changes? Only 2 weeks after my 30th birthday I got in a car accident and that for a long time ruined my life as I knew it. It was a big challenge to be patient to recover and take it one step forward, two steps back. I had to put my dreams and my desire to have children on hold. My 40's were mainly about surving day by day stuggles and only round the age of 50 I found more inner peace and got rid of lots of old pain and believes that didn't serve me. So life really get's better and better. Do you have a story about yourself that you would like to share? The story above? Or if you like another one... Summer 2019 at the swimmingpool in Crete, I read my favorite magazine 'Flow' and get inspired by an article on the terrible effects of the clothing industries. How they ruin nature and people in the process of making them, cost a lot of CO2 by transporting them and get dumped so soon and easily in Africa and South America. This has to change... What if I can find a nice way to tell this to teenagers, our future generation, by learning them to see more value in clothing and teach them the skills to change and make their own unique clothes, bags etc. And how wonderful would it be to get older people and people with different backgrounds involved, because they still have the craftmanship skills, wich our children do not learn in school anymore and it brings some meaning into their life as well, because giving and sharing makes you feel alive. I mailed some people and started to share my idea the months after and june 2020 I started teaching projects at schools and in august we started the workshop at a fixed location, for 2 days a week with 5 women. I'm working to get more people and publicity so we can grow. It gives so much positive energy to experience my idea really has come to life. What are your thoughts on aging? You either die or grow old, I prefer to live and grow, so I'll take the wrinkles and sagging skin for granted. Do you still have a dream or big goal that you would love to accomplish? I'd love to own a house at the beach, or spend more time at there, because the beach and sea give me an instant feeling of freedom, joy and peace. I dream of a bigger reach of my ideals about substanability in combination with creativity, so we re-use what's allready there, instead of endless buying new and my ideals of how we should interact with one and another, I mean truely listen, react with empathy and more tolerance, look at the bigger picture instead of only me, me, me. I'd like to improve and evolve my coaching skills; if you do not grow, devellop, you stand still and you go backwards. There are a lot of things I like to learn; I'd like to get more organised, draw and paint better portraits, play guitar and the piano, speak spanish because I love how it sounds.

The 40 -over- 40 Women's Campaign Niki is a such a warm and open woman that you immediately feel like you've known her for years. She has her own company, Oleander Travel BV where she arranges bespoke and un-touristy tours for her clients in Cyprus, Greece and Jordan. (If you're feeling the need for some sunshine, contact her!) She turned 60 last year and had never had a professional photoshoot done before and her 60th birthday was a great milestone for a portrait experience. She wanted some professional and beautiful portraits as well as some images with her 2 daughters. If your friends/family had to describe you in 3-4 words, what would they say? Enthusiastic, generous, warm, open What is your occupation and how to you like to spend your free time? I am a Tour Operator organising holidays to Cyprus and Greece specialised in fly drives, active holidays and holidays made to measure. What are you most proud of? This is a big question....we all have challenges and new experiences and traumas in our lives. Life is beautiful but sometimes demanding. I am simply proud of the way I have handled and faced all kinds of circumstances in my life. Sometimes I say I wish I knew in my 20s as much as I know now, but this is wrong....I am who I am now because of all the experiences I had during all these years. I am really very proud for making a new home in a new country, for starting my business after being a "trailing happy housewife" for almost 10 years, for bringing up two miracles - my daughters - in the world, for overcoming financial problems and for surviving breast cancer. Pick and choose....every experience in my life has been just as important and determining in my life. I am proud for all of them. What is your favourite poem, quote or saying? My favourite quote is "Be Positive, Stay Positive. There is always light at the end of the tunnel" What advice would you give your 20-year old self looking back? Stay true to yourself, listen to yourself and your gut feeling. When you entered your 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's or beyond, what did you find were the most significant or poignant changes? I have just become 60 and I am really enjoying it. What I experience with this big milestone in my life is (even if I don't always show it) is an inner peace and wisdom. This is for me the biggest change I felt entering my 6th decade. Do you have a story about yourself that you would like to share? For many years we have been unwillingly childless. After 6 IVFs and after loosing my IVF twins at 25 weeks because of a doctors mistake and after a 1,5 year of moaning I had decided that this is it. There is no room for kids in our lives. I had said to my partner that this is our "cross". We would take one more dog and travel with his work the whole world around. My brothers had already children and those would become our children as well. We had spent a beautiful summer attending the wedding of very dear friends in Norway and then we continued our holiday in Cyprus. Skinny dipping, getting drunk, going on a jeep safari, doing silly things, things that you only do during your summer holiday. After 5-6 weeks I started feeling sick....bum....unexpectedly pregnant....9 months later our first was born, two and a half years later our second one came to complete our happiness. Both of our girls are a miracle and a true gift given to us from God! What are your thoughts on ageing? Let it come, this ageing thing. Many people are concerned about it. I say be happy being allowed to age. It is a blessing and carry it with proudness and acceptance. Make sure you live as healthy as much as you can and let the rest come to your path. Some things you cannot control in your life. Enjoy what you are and who you are at this stage of your life. And stop making additions and subtractions to see how many years you have lived and how many more you have to live. Simply live your life. Do you still have a dream or big goal that you would love to accomplish? I would like to bring Oleander Travel to the next level. Since 2005/2006 I am offering specialised authentic an active holidays direct to individuals, B2C we call it . Since last year I started working more intensively designing travel products (holidays) for other colleagues, called B2B, especially for groups. This turn in my work has given me an extra boost and energy . Working with and for other colleagues gives me new challenges and energy. "To the next 10 years" I say ;) How did you feel about doing this photoshoot? Being me I went to Jules on the day of the shoot full of guilty feeling that "Oh I am so vain" to do this photoshoot only for myself. WRONG! It was like going to a life coach. The photoshoot revealed my three sides...me as professional, open and ready to design a nice holiday for my clients, me the proud mother, (I did a few photoshoots with my beautiful daughters) and me Niki, the fun loving gipsy in her soul crazy Niki. I just loved it. The gipsy Niki pictures I will place somewhere I can see them every day to remind me of the fun Niki and help me go though my day. I definitely recommend Jules and taking such an opportunity.

Lauren is one of those casual and natural women who just ooze sexiness and she was lovely to have in front of my lens. We did most of the shoot with her on her own and then her 2 children joined in for the last part of the session.

This gorgeous woman came into my home studio to have her hair and make- up done and then brought in a few outfits for some different looks. She wanted to create some images to celebrate her African heritage as well as some updated shots for work. Her 9 year old daughter and family also joined in for the shoot so we could create some beautiful mother-daughter images and family portraits but she asked that I don't share those on the internet.

Sam is the owner of a marketing consultancy called Grow. She needed an updated headshot for her new website and decided to make a full session of it with bringing in a few extra outfits. She had her hair and make-up done, we photographed her in a few different outfits and then her daughter's joined her for some photographs towards the end of the session.

I've known Karin since we were 18 at university together and she has always been confident, doesn't put up with rubbish, can be brutally honest knows what she wants and goes after it and is also one of the biggest softies with the hugest heart. When she asked me to do a portrait shoot with her at my studio in Cape Town, I was so excited as she is gorgeous. She came into studio and had her hair and make-up done and brought in a few outfits - her favourite one was her fluffy coat. We're going to print this one quite big for the wall....

Neebashnee contacted me a little while back to have a photoshoot of herself in Cape Town as she had moved down from Joburg a few months ago. She has also recently turned 40 and wanted to have a photoshoot in celebration of this milestone as well as moving cities. She brought in some beautiful outfits and Tarryn Fox did a beautiful job with her hair and make-up.

I knew that Donna would be just beautiful to photograph - she has a lovely and warm way about her and a beautiful presence. This is what she had to say about her shoot: "Now, to say that I am NOT comfortable in front of the camera would be an understatement. In fact, my initial response to doing this shoot was a hard NO! Doing a photo shoot and having to express myself in front of a camera is absolutely terrifying, and could easily be compared to being forced to go bungi jumping, honestly, for me it is on the same level. I did not, however, factor in Jules. Her easy manner and expert skills made me feel right at home in her amazing little studio. I wasn’t embarrased at all, and Jules gently guided me in getting the perfect shots. She made me feel like a SUPERMODEL. I strongly feel like every woman should be fortunate enough to experience this. It was WAY more than just a photo shoot. It was EMPOWERING. It changed how I see myself, and afforded me the opportunity to see how I could look if I gave myself half the chance to feel beautiful. As women we are SO hard on ourselves, especially when we get older! Now, as a professional person (over 40 mind you) I have some beautiful, PRO images and head shots of myself and I am so very grateful! Jules, you are a self-esteem boosting wonder woman, ridiculously talented, and so easy to get along with. Your studio is an absolute ray of sunshine and a really happy place for women."

Shelley is a single mom to the most lovely and very energetic Gabriella. As she is often behind the camera, she wanted to do a girly mother and daughter shoot in studio with the focus on beautiful shots of them together. They brought in a few outfits and played dress up and had lots of fun dancing around in the studio.

I absolutely adore photographing portraits for women in studio. Tarryn is an amazing hair and make-up artist and is often in studio with me, bringing out everyone else's beauty. This time, she came in for a portrait session to get some updated headshots as well as some images to gift to her husband.

This beautuiful woman was so gorgeous to photograph inside and out and is one of the sweetest and kindest woman I've met.

I did a shoot a few weeks ago with my own beautiful little girls, Mikaela and India, who are 6 and 7. They are so used to having other people in my studio and were so delighted to be dressed up in gorgeous little dresses and having their portraits taken. I can't believe that these are my own gorgeous daughters and when did they get so big?

The 40-over-40 Women's Portrait Campaign Ilse is a warm, strong and caring woman who is a consultant and coach. Over the last while, she has undergone huge changes in her life - ending a long-term relationship, moving from her established home and becoming a master of NLP. She's also started writing a book. If your friends/family had to describe you in 3-4 words, what would they say? Loving, caring, warm person with a lot of humor. What would you say is your best emotional quality? I always see potential in people What is your occupation and how to you like to spend your free time? I work as an consultant and coach. In my free time I love reading, cooking, going to the gym (yoga), traveling and spent time with famlly and friends. What are you most proud of? My two children. I went through quite rough times the last few years: ended a longterm relationship. Found myself a new home. And became Master in NLP. And finally started writing a book. What is your favourite poem, quote or saying? Life is always happening for me not to me (Tony Robbins) What advice would you give your 20-year old self looking back? Have faith in yourself. being just who you are is perfect enough. When you entered your 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's or beyond, what did you find were the most significant or poignant changes? In my 50's I became a Master in NLP, I ended a longterm relationship, found myself a new home. And my children went to college. My father passed away when I was in my 40's. Do you have a story about yourself that you would like to share? The best present for my 50th birthday was an ice bath workshop, given by Wim Hoff. What are your thoughts on aging? In Dutch there is a saying that everybody wants to get old, but nobody wants to be old. However being seasoned has the advantage of knowing better what I want in life and what I don't want. And to realize that you're always one decision away from a totally different life. Do you still have a dream or big goal that you would love to accomplish? My goal is to write a book about women in their fifties.

The 40 over 40 Women's Campaign Catherine is a kind, sensitive and beautiful woman who adores art and fashion. She is originally from France she completely fits the stereotype that French women have style!When she showed me her many choices for her wardrobe, I wasn't quite sure how it was all going to fit together but she puts on any combination of clothing and makes it look fabulous. If your friends/family had to describe you in 3-4 words, what would they say? Once said a friend of mine "Desert Edelweiss "...so I always felt quite different and kind of one of a kind but not standing in my strength enough to handle it. What is your occupation and how to you like to spend your free time? I guess the most important occupation I had in my life was to be a mother. It's the greatest responsability I've experienced, the most powerful and beautiful to be given, also the most scary because you are always the example, so you have to be the best example for your children. Because they are now almost grow-ups or studying, I realise I have now time to think about: what do you need Catherine? What do you want? Free time to me is looking for water. I really need the calming influence of the sea...or a river...or even a natural pool.... When I move to the Netherlands in 1993, I was so delighted that I could visit the sea within 1 hour riding....this was really a gift. What are you most proud of? Surviving a trauma, starting a business, moving countries, or just making it through every day? I am really blessed and happy with everything in my life what "made me" the person I am now. I think life gives you what you have to get, and you learn much more from the hard part of it than from the soft part. I learned to be confident with my feelings and intuition, being happy with myself and not depending on anyone to be happy. The only person you earn is yourself. Even your kids are not yours. When you realize this, you can sink in a kind of confidence with everything in your life, and you can be deeply positive. Because it's the best way to fight the negative around us. I have been "the strong one" for a long time but now I'm free to rest. And to let go. What is your favourite poem, quote or saying? DIFFERENT IS ATTRACTIVE What advice would you give your 20-year old self looking back? We feel so insecure when we are 20. The best hint is to stay close to yourself. Don't look to others, just look at yourself, at what you have and not at what you do not have. Embrace the differences and not the similarities. And go inside, everytime you feel insecure. Because the answer is always inside, not outside. Also try to be PATIENT. This is the greatest key to success in many ways. When you entered your 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's or beyond, what did you find were the most significant or poignant changes? Eg, in work, health, family or relationships? The greatest change was to realize that I am my big own happiness. I don't rely on anybody else. I'm in charge and being different is great and ok! Do you have a story about yourself that you would like to share? Something funny, wise or that you have overcome? The funniest is that I met the Dutch father of my children through friends. As a French girl I was always attracted to any country covered with sun so my attention went to all the sunny countries under France. I had barely heard over the Netherlands and did not knew at all where this country was on the wold map!!!! What are your thoughts on aging? I feel blessed to have reached already my age, because my mother passed away when she was 50. I was 26 and I definitely missed her in all the moments I would have liked to share with her in all the phases of my life. I had to discover a lot by myself.... I missed the reference! I will be blessed with each single year I will get. Really. Because life is a wonderful present. Even the setbacks are a gift that makes you grow. And I really think that the most difficult in aging is to lose a lot of people along the way... Do you still have a dream or big goal that you would love to accomplish? What are the skills or things that you'd still love to learn? Never stop dreaming... I do not have specific goals to reach or accomplish, I let life surprise me. I've experienced a divorce, and a burn out, so I had enough stress in my life. I really try to avoid any situations which could set me upside down, this is I think the greatest achievement for me....

I couldn't believe that this beautiful woman is 51.

Robyn came into my studio in Bergvliet to have her hair and make-up done and then her two daughters, Georgia and Erin joined in so we could create some mother and daughter portraits. Her hubby, Mark joined us for the last few minutes of our session for an updated family portrait. She also brought in an outfit for an updated headshot to use on social media and LinkedIn.

I photographed headshots for Nikki two years ago and this time photographed her in my studio in Bergvliet with her two beautiful daughters, Sophia and Abigail.

I cannot believe that this woman is sixty years old - how lovely is she? Brigitte came into studio for some updated headshots and she also brought in her violin as she plays in an orchestra - which made for a fun prop.

This gorgeous family live in Lesotho and were down from Cape Town for a few weeks on holiday. Ziona is also a photographer, shooting mainly newborn babies....as well as an amazing cake artist. Their family had never had a professional photo shoot before and Zee was looking for beautiful portraits that captured emotion and the emotional connectivity between her family... which is what I just love to do! We met over Skype a few weeks later and narrowed the photos down to Zee's favourites which she chose to be displayed as fine art mounts.

Lou was just so beautiful to photograph - she is relaxed and earthy and fun and I had a great time in studio with her. She doesn't wear a lot of make-up normally so we Donna applied very natural make-up to accentuate her natural beauty.

Maire was visiting Cape Town for a few days in celebration of her 60th birthday and decided to do a portrait shoot as a celebration of herself and of reaching 60. As she is such a natural person, she wasn't sure about having her hair and make-up done, but make-up just accentuates a person's natural beauty and she looked so gorgeous. She brought in a few different outfits and we had fun playing around with different poses and looks. She runs, cycles and is super-energetic and I just love the fact that she is so young at heart - she told me that she takes her nieces and nephews to rock concerts, including Eminem, which so cool. The more I photograph 'older women', the more I realise that people really do get better with age. Isn't this woman just lovely?

Shahra came into my studio where she had her hair and make-up done and then she brought several changes of clothing including the most amazing belly-dancing outfit, most of which she made herself. Bellydancing with Soma is a big part of her life and she wanted to incorporate that into her shoot. I had so much fun spending a morning with her and photographing her gorgeousness.  Not only is she a multi-talented dancer/creator but is also super-brainy and one of the nicest people I've met whose favourite colour is red.

I spent such a fun afternoon in studio with this gorgeous woman. She first had her hair and make-up done by Tarryn and then she brought in a few different outfits. We spent most of our time in studio and then went out to a local green belt for a few shots outdoors. I cannot believe that Sue is going to be 60 next year. Sue is just beautiful all over and with the most gentle and lovely way about her.

I photographed Selma in studio where she had her hair and make-up done and brought in a few outfits. She has the most beautiful smile and soulful eyes.