Detail from 500 Strong (2021) by Ponch Hawkes.

Detail from 500 Strong (2021) by Ponch Hawkes. Photograph: Ponch Hawkes
“In Geelong, I had a lot of women who had split up with their partners in Melbourne and moved [there] for a new life, where housing was cheaper – and part of that reinvention was doing a nude photo shoot.”


Each woman had a different relationship to her body. “Some women came prepared to be naked – they had been in a Spencer Tunick photo shoot or grew up in naked households. Others hadn’t taken their clothes off in front of anyone for years and never even wore short sleeves. Some people got modest or awkward and very shy. If someone was trying to hide themselves by crouching or saying they’re fat, I tried to make them feel comfortable about being there and tried to make them feel the best they could.”

From polar ice to lightning strikes: the 2020 Frank Hurley awards – in pictures
Hawkes made the experience as inviting as possible. “In the studio we had very soft lighting and music playing and there was a reception area to have a cup of tea before the shoot

The shoot itself took around 10 to 15 minutes for each woman, with Hawkes also turning the camera on herself for a self-portrait.

“I feel like the project is reclaiming women’s bodies from shame. I’m trying to promote a normal idea: ‘This is what ageing is’. Your body is a product of your genes and your health and injuries – and all these things affect what happens in your life as well, and I wanted to show that,” she says.

“The best thing about an older body is you’re still here; it’s got you through so much. Your body tells the story of your life.”

• Flesh after 50 is on until 11 April at Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne. Admission is free

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