The Atlas of Beauty: Spontaneous Photos of Naturally Beautiful Women Around the World

By Andrew Alpin, 19 May 2017

Mihaela Noroc is a Romanian photographer who undertook an amazing and unique journey around the globe between 2013 to 2015. Unlike the usual traveler, Mihaela took on a project titled “the Atlas of beauty" in which she photographed naturally beautiful women across the world, spoke to them, understood their cultural traditions, way of life and their stories but most of all she photographed them spontaneously and the results turned out stunning. Almost all of the women have been captured spontaneously during a moment with Mihaela. Although you may not see the cover girl model in her photos, every women is beautiful in a unique and unconventional way which mirrors the true beauty of herself and her culture. Check out 20 excerpts from the album the atlas showing naturally beautiful women around the world.

1Girl in Bogota, Colombia

“When I photograph a woman I talk a lot. I try to make her feel special, proud and unique. I can get along in five languages and this helps me a lot, but in some countries, talking becomes body language." This shot is of a girl dicing with death in Bogota, Colombia”

Image Source: www.gaiadergi.com

2Indian Woman worshipping in the Ganges, Varanasi India

The river Ganges is considered a holy entity in India where it is believed that bathing and making offerings in the river purifies one’s soul.

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

3Young girl in Riga, Latvia

This picture was taken in Riga, in the Baltic state of Latvia and the girls name is Agate!! "Global trends make us look and behave the same, but we are all beautiful because we are different. In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder is always somebody else."

Image Source: www.elrunrun.net

4Woman dressed traditional costume Shiraz, Iran

This is Melina from Shiraz, Iran and none can argue the fact that this woman is stunning. Mihaela seems to have an eye for spotting the right people at the right time because this album truly portrays naturally beautiful women around the world.

Image Source: www.irantravelingcenter.com

5Girl in Medellin, Colombia

Meet Estefan from Medellin Colombia. Now one can’t help noticing, you don’t need to be a model to be beautiful and this is truly an atlas of beauty.

Image Source: www.photobucket.com

6Ethnic beauty from Amazon jungle Ecuador

This is the portrait of a Kichwa tribeswoman from the Amazon, Ecuador. The girl is dressed in her wedding costume that she wore when she married at 15 years old.

Image Source: www.ptcdn.info

7Zafiro in Arequipa, Peru

Words fail me but express I must that a thing of beauty is always a joy forever.

Image Source: www.feat.az

8Sarah from San Francisco USA

Image Source: www.peacequarters.com

9Valerie, Harlem, USA

One can’t help notice that there is more beauty in life’s simple moments than in the dramatics of life. Naturally beautiful women don’t need makeup and enhancements as you can see.

Image Source: www.resourcemagonline.com

10Bishkek from Kyrgyztan

That costume is heavenly. Says Mihaela “ And it’s not just about women that I photograph, but also about other ordinary women in the world that see the photos and understand how special they are.

Image Source: www.ellalabella.cl

11Volunteer and Sikh pilgrim in Golden Temple Amritsar India

This is a photo of a volunteer Punjab girl in the golden temple of Amritsar in India. A langar is a community kitchen run by volunteer only. This particular kitchen serves food to 100,000 people daily the picture on the right is a photo of a Sikh pilgrim wearing a kirpan or a dagger that is part of five spiritual items carried by Sikhs.

Volunteer and Sikh pilgrim in Golden Temple Amritsar India

12Woman in Yangon Myanmar

This is a shot of a beautiful woman in Yangon Myanmar or present day Burma.

Image Source: www.sexontologico.com

13Girl in Ethiopia

According to Noroc, this girl is an Ethiopian Muslim but her best friend is a Christian. “I admired the way Christians and Muslims got along, yet in the same country there are dozens of terrible ethnic conflicts”

Image Source: www.perfecto.guru

14Woman at a tea shop in Istanbul, Turkey

Mihaela says she prefers photographing women without a lot of makeup portraying their natural looks as much as possible. Well, the effects are gorgeous.

Image Source: www.adn40.mx

15Mother and child, Australia

How natural can you get? This is a beautiful capture of an Australian woman and her son.

Image Source: www.awzya.com

16Girl in Labrang Monastery, Xihae, China

This girl was walking around the Buddhist monastery of Labrang in Xihae, China. Noroc says the girl was surprised when she was told by Noroc that she was beautiful. “People don't think that they are beautiful. But they are. You wear your story on your face, and that is part of who we are.”

Image Source: www.unadonna.it

17Oxford, UK

You can’t complete this list without a hazel eyed English beauty from Oxford now can you? Mihaela has cleverly portrayed the entire diversity of the planet in her photos.

Image Source: www.wattpad.com

18Woman portrait, Havana Cuba

“Sometimes I have only 30 seconds to make a portrait, because I meet an interesting woman, by chance, on the street." In this case, Havana, Cuba.

Image Source: www.sexontologico.com

19Rio, De Janeiro Brazil

It looks like Noroc got lucky enough to be invited of this girl’s house for a photoshoot. The result is awesome.

Image Source: www.portalanalitika.me

20And the photographer herself

A photo of Mihaela Noroc silting on one of the Ghats or banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi India. Mihalea’s project the atlas of beauty is an awesome one. It contains 500 portraits of naturally beautiful women from 50 countries and is scheduled for release in September 2017.

Image Source: www.sondakika.com


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