The 50 Women Project
Winding Down and Coming Full Circle
Leslee Willes
The 50 Women Project is winding down, and I’ll be completing the final portraits here in Los Angeles, a fitting full circle since many of the women were photographed here during a prior visit.
Each woman who stepped in front of
the camera brought her story, her vulnerability, and her truth.
Rose Marie Trapani
As so many of the women in this project have shared, life is unpredictable. The way we move through its twists and turns is often what grows us most. I never could have predicted that I’d finish this project in LA, the city where I grew up and have now returned to live. I loved my home and community in New York, but I knew I needed to pivot into a new season where my portrait photography could continue to grow and evolve. That shift happened quickly, and now, back in Burbank, I’ve found new studios to photograph in and I can’t wait to get started.
When this project began, it was simply a campaign to photograph women in midlife, my favorite people to photograph. But it has become something far more meaningful. Each woman who stepped in front of my camera brought her story, her vulnerability, and her truth. We talked, we laughed, and we often cried.
Some sessions felt especially profound. I remember photographing Rose Marie Trapani, a local friend originally from Italy. Before she arrived, I put on an old playlist of Italian songs I hadn’t listened to in years. As soon as she walked in and heard Eros Ramazzotti, not an artist many know, she smiled, teared up, and we were both transported straight to Italy. In that moment, something deeper happened. We connected not just as photographer and subject, but as two women sharing a memory, a feeling, and a love for a place that had shaped us both.
Kristin Giffin
Another friend, Kristin Giffin, whom I hadn’t seen in many years, came from Texas to be photographed. She doesn’t often get the opportunity to take time for herself, and it was such an honor that she and her family considered a session with me worthy of a “mom getaway.” In addition to our studio time, she became at home in our community for a few days, and we spent long hours on the porch catching up. Had it not been for this project, I doubt we would have found a reason to reconnect in that way. It was a beautiful reminder of how this work creates space not just for portraits, but for friendship, reflection, and belonging.
There have been many moments like that, moments of transformation, recognition, and connection. Each time, I leave wanting the conversation to continue.
This project has mirrored my own growth as a photographer and artist. It has shaped how I see, listen, and create. It has taught me that my greatest gift is the ability to hold space, to create an environment where people feel safe, seen, and at ease. Most of us, especially women, rarely take the time to simply be. That’s why there are often tears and a huge exhale during a session. You get to be seen and heard, and the photos reflect that: the true, radiant you.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing those portraits used as profile photos. It’s an affirmation that you see yourself the way I saw you, with warmth, honesty, and reverence.
When the project is complete, I plan to take time to reflect on what it has meant and then gather all these incredible women into a book. My hope is to celebrate this collective body of work, take it on the road, and keep the conversations going with other women everywhere.
We’ve each lived so many chapters, and yet there’s always more to discover, in ourselves and in each other.
This project is about being seen, heard, and held.
If that speaks to you, I’d love to photograph you.
