My starting point was simple. I asked them, in all confidence, "who are you, at this moment, in all your beauty and vulnerability, and which gaze would you cast upon someone that has had a defining emotional impact on your life? Many of them confided to me that they experienced feelings of loss and that they found it difficult to trust someone again.

I photographed them as they are; with natural light, without make-up or styling. Girls shows real women. I all met them in daily life.

These girls are not models. They don't want to be extraordinarily beautiful. They only want to be themselves. I thank them, for their trust, and for their courage. Try to be good to them. (Danny Van der Elst, October 2012).

This project was exhibited and awarded internationally