The Atlas of Beauty

I’m fascinated by the Caucasus, a mountainous region where Europe and Asia converge, with many distinctive ethnic groups and an incredible variety of faces.

Her name is Delyara, she’s Ossetian and I photographed her on the streets of Vladikavkaz, Russia, in June 2016. These days I’m in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Female photographer Mihaela Noroc travels and captures the natural beauty around the world showing the diversity of our planet through portraits of women.

---

That's me in the snowy New York City.
I like to explore with The Atlas of Beauty different parts of the world and different environments, both modern and traditional. Because there's beauty and humanity everywhere. From Times Square to the Amazon Rainforest, from boulevards in metropolises to remote villages.

We are all humans, part of the same family and we should learn to live in harmony in our colourful home called Earth

She's Turkish and I photographed her in Istanbul.

Grandmother and granddaughter in Rostov, Russia. Two wonderful women passionate about handmade art.

Tamara, the grandmother, weaves traditional textiles, while Sonya, the granddaughter, makes astonishing ball-jointed dolls.

Young woman from Moldova.

Mother and daughter on the streets of Milan, Italy, a few weeks ago.

Caterina, the daughter, started to dance when she was 3 years old. “I always said to my mother that I want to become a ballerina.” And Barbara, the mother, always supported her.

They both moved to Milan from their small town so Caterina could fulfil her dream and study ballet from an early age in one of the most prestigious schools in the world. Her brother and her father had to remain home, a few hundred kilometres away.

Art requires huge sacrifices, years of hard work and difficulties, but great things never come easy.

Just imagine how Barbara feels today when she sees Caterina dancing on one of the most famous stages in the world: the stage of La Scala.

A painter, in her studio, in one of the most colourful cities in the world: Valparaiso, Chile.

Carla has a fish stall in one of the markets of Lisbon, Portugal. Each day she wakes up at 5 in the morning, for her work. In the afternoon she takes care of her brother who has special needs.

When she started to tell me about the love of her life, her eyes became wet and she couldn't continue.

There are millions of beautiful hard working women around the world. They are not famous and you will never see them on the media, because their stories and dreams are unknown. But each of them is a star in her own family or community.

Serena makes these little horns which are popular amulets of good luck in Naples and other parts of Southern Italy. They are called “Cornicelli” in Italian and have ancient origins.

“This small workshop was opened by my parents. Now me and my sister continue the tradition. I make the horns here and she sells them downstairs, where we have a store.”

While traveling In Naples, last year, I discovered a fascinating city, full of traditions, where most people have very strong ties with their families.

Next year she will turn 100 years old

Next year she will turn 100 years old.

Imagine, a century of history seen through these beautiful eyes.

She’s Indian and I photographed her in Mumbai, inside her home.

She’s a wonderful artist from Australia and a beautiful mother.

Oktoberfest is one of the biggest festivities in the world, having been held in Munich, Germany, since 1810. It’s not just the festival where millions of beers are served but also the place where thousands of Bavarian people wear with pride their folk outfits.

On the first festival Sunday, around 8000 participants, mostly from Bavaria, march in a spectacular parade in traditional costumes.I witnessed this event one week ago.

This young woman started to march with her group right after I took this photo so I didn’t even had the chance to find out her name. I hope she will see this post.

Later Edit: Her name is Katharina.

A ceramic art student inside an workshop. in Cluj, Romania.

She has African and European roots and loves the diversity of the world.

Imane is from Paris and studies arts. Besides going to her university she also works in 3 restaurants and does babysitting to support herself.

She had some time before a job interview so when I noticed her she was visiting an art exhibition in Pompidou Centre from Paris. That’s the ideal place to think about her dream.

Imane wishes to have a big art gallery someday that will bring artists from very different cultures, together, so she could combine her love for arts and for diversity.

For many people around the world this is how shopping looks like. They don’t have cars, big homes or bank accounts. But most of them are great examples of dignity, strength, generosity and honesty.

If more of those who have fortunes and power would learn from this wonderful people, we would live in a much better world.

I photographed this beautiful woman in Nampan, Myanmar, in 2014.

A beautiful donut seller in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

They are colleagues and friends and they are both proud of their ethnicity. The fact that one of them is Palestinian and the other is Jewish doesn't affect their friendship.

I think most people couldn't say who is the Jew and who is the Palestinian in this photo. We are all human beings, part of the same big and diverse family.

I took this photo in Jerusalem.

Beauty at 3700 m altitude, Colca Valley, Peru.

Even on the rainy days, most of the people of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, prefer to walk or use a bicycle, rather than a car.

Emilia stopped for a few minutes and told me about the happiest moment of her life. She was recently chosen for an important part in an opera. To step on the stage of Royal Swedish Opera, at only 20 years old, as a soprano, was an incredible experience for her.

Being surrounded by famous opera singers and having her family in the audience made her prouder than ever.

I'm sure that this is just the beginning of a wonderful career.

I met her by chance on the streets of Cairo. I started to show her my photos and explain the project.

She immediately smiled and told me that she knows The Atlas of Beauty very well. “Since I first saw the project, I really wanted to be part of it!"

She studies Arts and I photographed her yesterday in Cairo, Egypt.

There's something magical about the island of Sardinia, Italy.

Sardinians gather often for festivals and parades to present their beautiful outfits, dances and music. Almost each town and village has its own costumes and the diversity is incredible for one single region.

Giulia is from a small Sardinian town called Villaurbana. I met her in August, during the Feast of the Redeemer in Nuoro.

Shiraz, Iran

In this photo you will see some typical things for Turkey. A bazaar, people drinking tea, flags, a portrait with Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey.

But not a typical Turkish face, because the truth is that you cannot define that. While traveling around the world, I realised that each country reveals much more diversity than we think, in terms of people.

Sometimes we imagine that all Scandinavians are blond with blue eyes or that all Turkish people have very dark hair and brown eyes. And, what is worse, is that we go forward with this misconceptions thinking that people are good or bad, just based on their nationality or ethnicity. But this world has much more diversity than we imagine and each human being is different.

Ipek, a future elementary school teacher, is from Izmir, Turkey.

"My grandfather was a doctor, my father is a doctor and I will also be a doctor."

Meike lives close to Amsterdam, Netherlands. She didn’t choose to study medicine just to follow a family tradition, but because she had the chance to see that this is the best way to help people.

Sofia lives in the suburbs of Porto, Portugal, with 4 happy friends. Some of them were rescued from the streets. She loves animals so much that she decided to become a veterinarian.

A market seller in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Patricia and Rebecca, from Switzerland, are sisters. There’s only one-year difference between them.

"When we were small, most of the kids laughed at our red hair. But that brought us closer to each other.”

Years have passed and I noticed them in Zürich Central Station. There was something magical about them.

This German young woman travels as much as she can. Her loved ones are spread all over the world and she is still searching for a place where she would love to live.

Lisa was coming from a trip when I met her on the streets of Berlin. She carried a huge backpack with her and many interesting memories.

When she started to talk her cheeks turned red. Her blushing was lovely but for many years she felt embarrassed about it.

"I was very insecure with my skin. I thought people could look through me. Everyone could see when I was nervous or excited.

I love to sing, I was in some bands but I was too afraid to sing in front of audience because of my skin which used to get very blotchy. I hated it because of the red spots and all the scars of the accident."

When she was 11 years old Lisa was hit by a tram. "I had many broken bones, some smashed organs and plenty of angels by my side." She incredibly survived.

Today she can walk, she can travel, she can do whatever she wants. And most important, she learned to accept her scars and her blushing.

In the end, beauty is about being yourself, natural and authentic.

Colombian living in Ecuador, photographed in 2014.

Last Christmas I was searching for beauty in Maramures, an amazing region of my country, Romania, where even the modern people wear traditional outfits during celebrations.

The island of Sardinia is an autonomous region of Italy. There you will have the chance to hear the Sardinian language sometimes, considered by many scholars the closest to Latin, and see some of the most diverse traditional costumes in the world.

Each village and town has its own traditional outfits, incredibly different from each other. These are usually worn during important celebrations, when hundreds of Sardinian women and men gather and parade in their folk costumes.

Johara is from a small Sardinian town called Ottana. I met her during the Feast of the Redeemer in Nuoro, a few kilometres from her home.

I photographed this Afar young woman in Awash, Ethiopia.

Most of the Afar people are nomadic herders, living in independent small kingdoms, each ruled by its own Sultan.

Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Mother and daughter from London and one of the most impressive stories that I ever heard.

When she was a baby, Emily(the daughter) was diagnosed with a rare congenital condition called Septo Optic Dysplasia, a condition that affects her endocrine system and her vision.

"I have no sight in my right eye and about 10% vision in my left. I spent a lot of my childhood in hospitals. My mom was always my greatest support."

Emma, her mother, continues: "I was 19 when I gave birth. We grew up together. Emily went to a mainstream school. I wanted to make her integrate in the society like any other child. In the beginning, they didn't know how to teach her. I bought books, learned a lot and started to teach her at home too."

The daughter continues: "Because of my medical condition I had to take steroids most of my life and gaining weight was a common side effect. When I was 14 I started to hate my body and developed Anorexia."

"Emily stopped eating. She used to hide her lunch under her bed." remembers her mother.

Emily continues: "Many colleagues were making fun on my weight, on my vision impairment and sometimes even on my red hair. It was a very difficult time but I focused on reading and learning for school and that gave me confidence.

I remember that there was a group of girls that used to bully me. After a while, they were struggling for an exam, trying to revise. They needed help and I offered my support. We reconciled, worked together and they passed the exam.

On the last night, when we had the prom, we danced together and we had a great time."

Her lovely personality helped Emily to stay optimistic and make the most of her life in the following years. The second part of this amazing story, in the future.

Tzvetana is an amazing mix of grace and strength. Her name comes from the word "flower", in Bulgarian.

She plays in the national ice hockey team of Bulgaria. Although this sport is not very popular in her country, she put all the efforts in her passion.

It meant great sacrifices to follow her dream, because ice hockey is an expensive and tough sport, and she did it without losing her innocence and beautiful smile.

Theo is from Thessaloniki, Greece, where I photographed her 6 months ago.

I will continue to travel in different parts of the planet and in about one year I will publish The Atlas of Beauty book with portraits and stories from all over the world.

I hope that this book will bring more light and optimism in a time of conflicts and intolerance.

Although she was home in her isolated village, cleaning her house, this mother of two children was incredibly elegant and graceful. That's exactly how I found her, after I knocked on her door.

Tibetan women, with their red cheeks caused by the rough climate, remind me of ancient paintings. Through their powerful eyes you can feel their inner beauty.

I took this photo in October 2015, in Sichuan Province, China.

“When I say my age, most people don’t believe me.”

I met Heloise, 47, on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Although Europe is one of the most modern places on earth, there are still communities here that keep their traditional celebrations. During these festivities, many people that normally dress modern, wear their traditional outfits, sometimes inherited from their ancestors.

What is interesting is that besides older generations, many young people attend this festivals and keep in touch with their traditions.

I visited such communities in Romania, Greece and a few days ago in Portugal.

She is Carolina, from Viana do Castelo, a town from Northern Portugal. I took this photo a few days ago during the festivities of Our Lady of Agony, a celebration that dates from the 18th century.

"We are resting, after a long day at work."
Rachelle is from Amsterdam, Netherlands, where I met her one month ago.

A Bedouin young woman in Petra, Jordan. This marvellous city was built in the walls of a spectacular canyon more than 2300 years ago.

Over the time it was under the rule of many empires and civilisations and its last inhabitants were the Bedouins.
"My parents and grandparents used to live here. My sister was actually born in one of these caves."

In the 80’s Petra became a World Heritage Site and the Bedouins from here moved to new villages. Today you can see some of them on the alleys of the ancient city selling souvenirs or guiding tourists.

They are full of charm and still have something that reminds of another era.

Mörön, Mongolia in August 2015

A deaf girl expressing the word “friendship” through Indian sign language. She was attending a school run by an NGO in Dharavi, one of the largest slums in the world, located in Mumbai, India.

Without a voice to express yourself, without money to have a decent living, life could seem hopeless. But education always gives hope and this Indian girl was really enjoying her time in school! Now, through sign language and writing she really has a voice.

Before entering North Korea, I was thinking I would be lucky if I make a portrait there. Came back with a photo series, surprised that women were really open to be photographed.

I met her on one of the largest boulevards of Pyongyang, the capital of the country, in September 2015.

I photographed these two Yazidi children a few days ago in a refugee camp from the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. Thousands of people from their community have been killed in the last 3 years just because they were different...

Janet lives in Cape Town, South Africa, where she loves to surf, listen to music and learn something new every day.

She’s originally form Germany where I met her.

Mafalda was on her way to a tailor when I met her in August, on the streets of Lisbon, Portugal.

“I have a skirt that I really love in my bag. Now, that I'm a mother, I want to make it a bit longer.”

Dania is from Amman, Jordan. She's a trainer in the first self-defense studio for women in the Middle East.

“Before I was really, really shy. In school nobody knew my name, not even my teachers. I was so timid I couldn’t even stand up in class and answer a question, even if I knew the answer very well. But Martial Arts changed my life. Now I’m doing workshops and I’m giving classes of self-defense. I don’t think I will have to use my skills outside trainings. People see that I’m confident, they feel I’m capable to defend myself.”

When I entered in SheFighter studio a few months ago, I discovered an amazing initiative and a splendid sisterhood between women from different environments. That’s real empowerment, not just words. I will post more stories from this amazing place in the future.

On the streets of Izmir, Turkey in May.

These days I'm in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“I had to leave Venezuela. I was tired of being afraid all the time. As a family, we used to be together during Christmas, but this time I’m in Uruguay, one of my brothers is in Panama, the other is in the US and my father is in Venezuela.”

I met Iriana a few days ago in Montevideo, Uruguay. There are hundreds of millions of people like her around the world who had to leave their home because they couldn’t have a decent life anymore. Let’s treat these people the way we would like to be treated if we would be in their place.

“We are twins, yet we have very different personalities. But when one of us is really sad or really happy, the other one feels that instantly.”

I met Camila and Bruna a few days ago, on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Daughters and mother on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

These days I'm in Guatemala and my next destination will be Mexico.

With her features she could be on the covers of magazines in most countries of the world. But Elianis never thought about such things.
She just wishes to finish her studies and become a nurse.

One week ago in Havana, Cuba, a place of contrasting colours and feelings.

in Havana, Cuba

It was a Sunday in 2015 and just like every weekend, many people from Pokhara, Nepal were spending their time around the splendid Phewa lake.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/MihaelaNorocPhoto/