The Shave Portrait Project started in June 2020, during the first wave of Covid. As a freelance commercial photographer, work literally came to a stand still and so I decided to take on a role as a Carer in the Aged Care sector. This is where I met some extraordinary people.

One such person was of a remarkable gentleman by the name of Cyril. At the young age of 99 years, Cyril still lived quite independently in his two bedroom retirement villa on Sydney’s North Shore.

One morning, during my visit to provide support and care for Cyril, I watched as he sat in his favourite armchair, in his brown bath robe, shaving with his electric shaver.

As the shaver whirred and buzzed around Cyril’s face, I was instantly drawn to how incredibly his facial expressions changed with every movement of the shaver. I knew I wanted to capture this with my camera and asked Cyril if I could photograph him.

He was excited about the opportunity to have his portraits taken and quickly agreed to pose in front of my camera in a series of different portraits. It was from this moment, that the idea came to create a series of striking portraits of elderly men shaving.

This wasn’t just about capturing men shaving, but it was about celebrating our aged community in a unique way. Celebrating independence, celebrating self-respect and self-care, and celebrating the importance of looking after oneself, even at the age of 100!

I would like to introduce you to the 10 gentlemen who very kindly and graciously gave me permission to photograph them. Read on to find out what advice they give to people, in particular, the younger generation.