Seeing the Unseen: Kent Barker’s Portraits Reframe Beauty, Age, and Presence

Kent, your Fifty Over 50 project celebrates women over 50 by truly seeing them as they are—what originally inspired you to create this series, and what surprised you most as the year unfolded?
Portraiture has always been my primary passion and it’s what I’m really known for as a photographer. In 2025 I was looking for a new project and what came up with was a series devoted to portraits of women over 50.  I gravitated to this demographic because at age 72, they are essentially “my tribe”. I had also heard from many of my female friends that as they aged, they began to feel invisible and unseen.  My goal for the project was simple…I wanted to “SEE” these women as they are and reveal the inherent beauty within them.

What surprised me as I worked on this was:
a.)  how much fun it was… and
b.) how much it meant to my subjects

Each session was a full half day (4 hours), so we had time to relax, laugh and be creative. Each session also included a high quality hair & make-up artist that was present for the duration of the shoot.  The combination of all these things created an environment that was ripe for success.  For me and for my subjects, this is exactly what you hope for.  Seeing it then realize itself was just pure and utter fun…for all of us!

You photographed 50 women over the course of a year. How did the experience challenge or deepen your perspective on beauty, aging, and representation through photography?
One of the things I did after photographing everyone was to ask them to write a short piece (in their own words) about what life and aging had taught them.  There is a beautiful wisdom in these expressions. Here are a couple of my favorites:

“As I get older, I’ve come to understand that authenticity is the most valuable thing we can offer—to ourselves and to others. Time has a way of stripping away the need to impress, to fit in, or to perform. What matters most isn’t perfection or approval, but living in alignment with who we really are. Authenticity brings a kind of peace that pretending never can—it attracts the right people, nurtures genuine connections, and allows life to feel fuller, simpler, and more real.”

“At 58, what I love most is the calm that’s finally settled in. I’ve stopped chasing approval or rushing toward the next thing. I know who I am, and I’m okay with it — flaws, quirks, and all. There’s a softness in how I see the world now, a kind of peace that comes from knowing what truly matters. I laugh more easily, forgive more freely, and hold my family a little tighter. Life feels quieter, but also richer — like it’s been distilled down to what’s real.”

With the exhibition opening at Art on Main in March alongside the release of a hardbound book, what do you hope viewers and readers take away from engaging with the work in these formats?
There is such a fear of aging in our society and culture.  It is my hope that this project will help the people seeing it, relax a bit in regard to that. Yes, there are downsides to aging.  But there are also incredible benefits…and I think all of these women exemplify that.

You’ve shared that your next Fifty Over 50 series will have a different focus. Without giving too much away, how is this next chapter evolving creatively or conceptually for you?
What I am looking for in this next series are women that have a unique sense of style. Women that loved and followed NYT photographer Bill Cunningham. Women that admire trendsetters like Diane Keaton, Coco Chanel and Iris Apfel.

Women who love clothing & fashion and understand that it is a means of self-expression.

After your time away in Costa Rica and returning straight into new work, how do travel and life experiences outside the studio continue to influence your artistic direction?
In Costa Rica, we will spend time both in the rain forests and on the coastline…and to the best of my ability, I will detach from my computer and my phone.  Being in nature like this is incredibly restorative and vital to the creative spirit.

I return refreshed and renewed. If I could bottle this…I would be a billionaire!