Frankie is the poster woman for this idea: that it’s your spirit—not your age—that defines you.
At 70, she’s both young at heart and a wise soul. She greets each day with a grin and a touch of wild abandon. But behind that smile is a deep well of strength shaped by years of personal challenge and growth. She came to us through our Her Body Speaks project—a bold art experience where women have their most meaningful personal words painted on their bodies and photographed simply, powerfully, against a white background.
For Frankie, Her Body Speaks wasn’t just art—it was a turning point. She had a story to tell. A dark past she still struggles with, though she’s come a long way in her healing. Being seen, truly seen, was part of reclaiming herself.
“Scary and empowering at the same time,” she said later. “It has been a long process, taking off the armor and releasing the sensual side of me.”
The experience was so profound, she booked her own personal expression session for her 70th birthday the same day.
She arrived with her bright red hat, that spark in her eye, and a grounded joy that filled the studio. There was nothing “typical” about this 70-year-old. Slender and strong from years of hiking and yoga, Frankie called herself wiry, with a laugh. Her confidence wasn’t performative—it radiated from a deep place of self-acceptance.
One of the few things that concerned her some was her wrinkles, she loved the way we subdued them. Although, with her wilderness session, she embraced them.
Her session included body painting—something she was nervous about at first, then fell in love with. Black paint and gold foil shaped into an abstract lion across her back and bum.
Across her front, a stylized lotus flower bloomed. The symbolism was powerful and personal: the lion represented her enduring strength, the lotus her hard-won peace.
Her favourite image from the session shows her floating cross-legged, calm and serene. There’s an ease in her posture, a quiet pride in her gaze. She had it enlarged and hung in her home—a daily reminder of the power she carries within.
“Every step outside my comfort zone empowers me,” she later shared. “As a 70-year-old woman, one has no idea how exciting it is to feel free, beautiful, sexy—and in love with yourself.”
Frankie was later a featured guest on the Fascinating Women podcast—Mark’s long-running series, now in its sixth year. In her episode, she shared more about her journey, her healing, and why these sessions mattered so deeply to her. It’s one of the most moving interviews in the series, a testament to the strength and complexity of women who keep growing, no matter their age.
Nearly a year after her birthday session, Frankie came back—this time for a “wild wilderness” shoot. We explored a private forest setting with an old hammock, a river, and a towering, ancient tree.
She laughed as she pressed her hand to the tree’s deep bark. “Look,” she said, “its wrinkles match mine.” That tree became a key part of the session—just like Frankie, full of character, history, and beauty.
She brought flowers, too—symbols of a deeply emotional moment that meant more to her and her husband than anyone else could know. In that quiet forest, surrounded by nature, Frankie expressed a whole new layer of herself.
That’s what makes these sessions unforgettable. You don’t just get beautiful images—you get to see yourself. To reconnect with who you are beyond age, beyond titles, beyond expectations.
Frankie’s story reminds us that beauty isn’t something you lose with age—it’s something you understand more fully. We don’t just photograph bodies. We photograph spirit. And your spirit, like Frankie’s, deserves to be celebrated.
Footnote. This piece of outside paradise is a very private unique setting I have access to. The river is wonderful to work, the land is wonderfully diverse. If an outdoor session is at your heart, we several places, like this we can make it happen for you.