Portraits of Girls at Age 15 and 20 Reveal How Much They Change in Just 5 Years

neta dror israeli girls portraits then and now

Ahinoam

Tel Aviv-based photographer Neta Dror photographed six Israeli girls as adolescents and young women for her latest creative photo project titled At 15 and 20. First shooting portraits in 2011, and then following up years later in 2016, the images show how each woman has matured.

Comparative portraiture isn't something new, but Dror's take on then and now photography is enhanced by her ability to get inside her subject. Each girl's gaze penetrates the photographer's lens, and it's interesting to see how body language has changed.

Coming into their own, each woman is keenly aware of how much of herself she is willing to expose. “It was incredible to see how differently they presented themselves to me and to the camera: all grew more confident and were less willing to expose themselves,” Dror writes. Compared with the openness of their adolescent selves, entering into their twenties, the women vary from guarded poses to “take charge” stances.

As a young photographer, Dror has been making a name for herself through exhibitions in Israel and abroad. And with creative projects like At 15 and 20, she shows the talent and imagination to be a photographer to watch out for.

The comparative portraiture project called for photographing the same girls in 2011 and 2016.

neta dror portraits of Israeli girls then and now

Kayla

Neta dror creative photography project

Naomi

Neta Dror Then and Now Photography of Israeli Girls

Ziv

comparative photography project by neta dror

Dana

neta dror comparative portraits of israeli girls

Tair

Neta Dror: Website | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [this isn't happiness]

All images via Neta Dror.

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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