Kathmandu, Nepal
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Since 2013, photographer Mihaela Noroc has been traveling internationally, documenting women for her project, The Atlas of Beauty. Along her travels to over 50 countries, she has been privileged enough to photograph mothers around the world. As Mother’s Day approaches, the Romanian photographer’s work is an interesting opportunity to see what motherhood looks like, from New York to Nepal, Tokyo to Milan.
Now expecting her first child, Noroc reflects back on the mothers she’s met across the globe and what it was like to photograph them with their children. “There’s always an intimate chemistry between them. And there’s always so much beauty and kindness in these special moments,” Noroc tells My Modern Met. Her work demonstrates the bond of family and the beautiful intimacy that exists between mother and child, even in the expectant mothers photographed.
Warmth and familiarity fill each frame, with Noroc’s work proving that cultural differences aside, maternal bonds around the world look the same. For the photographer, who recently spent time traveling in Asia as a pregnant woman, her own entry into motherhood motivates her even more to continue her work. “There are much more stories waiting to be discovered and now, as a mother, I feel even a stronger desire to bring my small contribution in making this world a better place for future generations.”
You can see more of Noroc’s work, and read the stories behind each photograph, in her book The Atlas of Beauty.
As Mother’s Day approaches, photographer Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty shares her depictions of global motherhood.
Tehran, Iran
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
New York, USA
San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala
Tokyo, Japan
Guangzhou, China
Milan, Italy
Refugee Camp, Greece
Chisinau, Moldova
Tel Aviv, Israel
Kolkata, India
Berlin, Germany
Osh, Kyrgyzstan
Kathmandu, Nepal
Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Amsterdam, Netherlands