As I get older I've come to conclusion that the past, present and future is seamless and life becomes more circular. I started thinking about the women I've known for many, many years and the shared experiences we have had, and even though we are all individuals those experiences are becoming the collective wisdom of our generation. So in 2008 I started photographing a group of friends from Gisborne whom I've known for 25 years or so and are now all 45 plus. Some still live in Gisborne but the women in this collection are now living in Wellington.

I want the images to be a statement about the person - something that is a visual illustration of how they see themselves at this time of their lives - a picture that is true to the person but not your everyday studio portrait.

Jenny O'Connor, March 2010