What does it mean for women to be seen and heard on their own terms? That’s the driving question behind Clémence Polès Farhang’s work. The photographer and creative director has spent the past 10 years approaching women around the world with one simple question: “Can I come over and take your picture?” The result: a global portrait of women exactly as they are, in the spaces where they feel most comfortable; where they can truly be themselves.
These are not polished, retouched images. With Clémence’s work, there’s no pretension, no shying away. This is “an alternative gaze rooted in tenderness, curiosity and the conviction that every woman’s interior life deserves deep attention,” says the French-Iranian photographer. The project came about naturally, stemming from a genuine curiosity in the “women who pass us by”. Yet recent years have seen the project take on a deeper meaning.
Clémence notes that as more uprisings around bodily autonomy and visibility begin to take place, particularly in Iran, where her mother was born, the idea of “who gets to look at women and who controls that gaze” became a concept she couldn’t ignore. That’s why she chooses to shoot women in their own homes, across several hours, while asking them about their stories in order to gain a wider picture of who they are that goes beyond how they look.
The Passerby project now features more than 300 photographs of women from across the globe, spanning ages, races, social status and circumstances, which can be explored with her exhibition, Can I Take Your Picture? at New York's Slip House gallery until 28 March.
There’s one common response when Clémence approaches a woman for the project: “Why would you want to photograph me? I’m not interesting enough.” And yet, her body of work proves otherwise.
Here, Clémence shares a selection of those photographs: 12 women whose life experiences and outlooks we should all be taking note of – who we wouldn’t have discovered if they hadn’t agreed to let a photographer take their picture that day.
Huong Dodinh
Clémence photographed painter Huong, born in Saigon, Vietnam, at her home studio in Paris in 2024.
“My first clear memory is from when I was eight years old, in 1953 – the year we moved to Paris to flee war in Vietnam. My parents gave me a small box of gouache. I found it wonderful that with this small box of gouache, I could translate all my thoughts into colour, into gestures,” Huong says.
Naïlat Salama Djae and Salimata Ali Chahidi
Clémence photographed mother and daughter Salimata and Naïlat, who were raised and born in the Comoro Islands, Africa, respectively, at home in L'Haÿ-les-Roses in 2025.
"We don't want to make room for new memories because we worry that we're going to lose our old memories but, on the contrary, if we block things out, we lose more."
McKenzie Wark
Clémence photographed Australian-born writer and professor McKenzie at her home in New York in 2023.
“There are two kinds of Trans people, really: those who can hide it, and those who can’t. And if you can’t hide it, and you come out young, it’s probably going to shorten your life, we all know that. If you can hide it, you might live a long time, but if you then come out late in your life, that version of you is short-lived. I get to be this for a very brief period of time.”
Naomi Fry
Clémence met writer Naomi, who was born in Haifa, Israel, and raised between Israel and Seattle at her Bedstuy apartment in Brooklyn in 2023.
"Even though I'm officially an American now, I'll never feel like I fully belong."
Mindy Seu
Clémence photographed professor Mindy, who was raised in Orange County, California, in New York in 2023.
“I’m sure my current interest in bodily autonomy and sexualised systems emerged because I had none of that when I was young. I was taught that sex was purely for conception, a duty rather than a pleasure. This puritanical indoctrination filled me with a lot of sexual shame throughout my twenties.”
Ana Kraš
Clémence photographed artist and designer Ana, who was raised in Belgrade, Serbia, at home in Paris in 2023.
"When I was 15, I convinced my parents to allow me to go to Tokyo over the summer to work as a model... I made money for my family, which was very needed, as my sister had a baby just after the bombing, and we had so little at that time. I loved the feeling of being a grown-up, a provider."
Tiana Rainford
Clémence photographed Tiana, a project director at East NY Farms who was born and raised in the area, at her home in Brooklyn in 2024.
“More than half of the world's plant medicines are in Jamaica, so I wanted to learn more about how we can use food as medicine because it's always been a part of my family's practice.”
Sunny Shokrae
Clémence photographed Tehran-born, California-raised photographer Sunny at home in New York in 2023.
"I think because I left Iran at such a young age, I'm always looking for things to connect me back to this place I know so much about and have so much admiration for, but have spent such little amount of time in."
Laurie Simmons
Clémence photographed filmmaker and photographer Laurie, born in Great Neck, Long Island, at her apartment in New York in 2022.
“I was a little artist kid. I felt like I was aware that my brain didn't work like everyone else's, like I saw things other people didn't see.”
Rachel Seville Tashjian
Clémence photographed fashion photographer Rachel, who was born in Delaware, at her New York apartment in 2025.
"I think we feel that it's not OK to want things, but it actually is. Desire and longing are important feelings and emotions because they're gateways to fantasy. And I think fantasy is so important."
Jenn Tardif
Clémence photographed Ontario-born yoga instructor Jenn at home with her family in Brooklyn in 2019.
"I spent many years trying to dress myself invisible, subscribing to this silly notion that I wasn’t “good” enough, or skinny enough, or important enough to wear white and risk standing out in a sea of black."
