Istanbul is one of the largest cities in the world, with a third of its population living in Asia, and the remainder, on the other side of the Bosphorus, in Europe. It’s hustling, bustling and totally alive. One day, I had a little bit of a disagreement with the man. I thought it best to take some time out so things didn’t escalate into a row which would spoil the day, and spying a bench in the distance, I wandered over to sit for a while. The bench was full of women in varying types and lengths of veils and head coverings. They happily bunched up to give me a space to sit amongst them. And then I realised something quite funny. They were all smoking! And I realised, we were all sitting there, taking time out, in a our own way and for our own reasons! I wondered how many of them were there to escape the risk of a full blown row, how many were taking a break from their shopping and, which of them were sitting there just to enjoy watching life milling around them as the mighty Bosphorus lapped the banks just next to us?

I sharply regretted the language barrier. No moment brought home to me more clearly, that despite outward appearances and generations of different cultural histories, women share so much. I would love to have asked them why they were sitting there, what brought them to share that little spot with me, in that single moment of time.

And from that moment on, I began to specifically look for those individual moments, those faces amongst crowds, each with their own thoughts, dreams, aims. I fell in love with being a woman; it’s special, it’s shared, it’s amazing.

All the images here are looking for people in their own world. Have a peaceful and beautiful weekend.