‘The women are both me’: Heather McAlister’s best phone picture

A mirrored image shows how the photographer uses self-portraiture to explore feminism, motherhood and identity

Heather McAlister was staying in a remote California farming community when she took this self-portrait. Wewere staying in Tomales, near the Point Reyes national seashore. The landscape is known for its simple farmhouse architecture and green hills lined with windswept cypress trees," she says. It'svery serene."

She uses self-portraiture to interpret emotion", speaking to themes of femininity, feminism, motherhood, identity, all while confronting society's definitions of beauty while ageing. The women in the photo are both me," she explains. The images are mirrored, with one faded and ghost-like. Both women cover their faces with an allium bloom, making their age hard to determine."