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A blogger and photographer has said her pictures of women over 40 without make-up are a celebration of their beauty.

Jo Blackwell, 58, has captured the images of 25 women so far and is aiming to gather 50 subjects for her Face it, Own it project.

"You very rarely see older women's faces without being airbrushed," the photographer, from Brixworth in Northamptonshire, said.

"I find it horrifying we've got to the stage where we feel that we have to put a mask on to be acceptable in society."

Ms Blackwell said she became depressed after her children left home.

"I never thought 'what about me when they go?', I turned round and thought 'I don't know what I'm for anymore'.

"What got me out of the depression was writing a blog about being 50.

"People were commenting on the blog and and I felt reconnected with the world."

Following the blog, Ms Blackwell retrained as a portrait photographer, and earlier this year .

She said the women wanted to be photographed for a variety of reasons.

"Some are just grateful to be getting older, maybe they've been through illness.

"While others are tired of feeling like they've got to conform."

Ms Blackwell said: "People will say 'oh you look good for your age' but that's a passive-aggressive backhanded compliment.

"I either look good or not, and that's your opinion anyway, but my age has nothing to do with it."

Ms Blackwell said she did not have a problem with people wearing make-up.

"But when you look at our daughters and the way they feel they can't go out the door without putting this mask on, I think we have a responsibility to lead the way," she said.

Ms Blackwell is also encouraging other 40-plus women to send their own "no make-up" selfies, and then she hopes to put the pictures in an exhibition later this year.

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