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A 39-year-old mother who could think of nothing worse than turning 40, decided to face her fear of age and embrace her new decade by photographing it.
Diane Miller, from Naperville, Illinois, feared getting 'old, boring, and all of that less than fun stuff,' but rather than retreat, she used weekly self-portraits on her blog Goodbye Thirties, Hello Forty! to capture what she calls, 'middle-aged'.
The finance compliance officer, now 41, candidly reveals a full-back tattoo, her new haircuts, and her face with and without make-up; inspiring others to look at their forties with excitement instead of doom.
Goodbye thirties, hello forty: Diane Miller, from Illinois, feared getting 'old, boring, and middle aged,' but rather than retreat, she used weekly self portraits on her blog to capture what she calls, 'middle-age'
'Some women get sad when they turn forty. I decide to photograph it,' she says on her website.
'My thirties have been good to me. I've upgraded my day job twice, taking on a whole new career and I rediscovered photography and now am selling photographs, have been published in an indie art magazine and have my work going in swag bags at the gift lounge before the Academy Awards (Oscars).
'I can only begin to dream what opportunities this next decade will bring.'
Week 18: The finance compliance officer, now 41, candidly reveals a full-back tattoo which she hides under crisp work suits
Week 25: Mrs Miller, who has decided blue looks best on her, holds up two blue dresses while wearing blue
Week 31: The aspiring photographer shares her photo The Lookout, a lone robin on a tree branch, which she sells on her Etsy store
Using weekly themes from a Flickr group called 'Me Again Monday' as inspiration, Mrs Miller set out to capture her 40th year, every week, for 52 weeks.
Week 23 shows the photographer getting out of the shower, under the theme 'Something New.'
'I took that and share a new day, morning, getting ready for the day, for a new week,' she wrote.
Mrs Miller's fortieth birthday, she decided to turn the camera on herself and document the year in a series of self portraits
Week 13: Mrs Miller takes a moment to take a self portrait with her phone, the theme was 'Just Shoot Yourself'
Week 32: Using the theme 'cornered' as inspiration, Mrs Miller photographs herself with a mirroring expression
Week 27, titled 'Truth or dare or both?' reveals Mrs Miller's full-back tattoo, which she hides under her crisp work suits every day.
A photograph of Mrs Miller with her hair in pigtails revolved around the theme 'Young' for week 35. ' At forth I'm not sure I'm young but I'm certainly not old. I'm young at heart,' she wrote.
Meanwhile, week 39 shared an inspirational quote by George Bernard Shaw: 'We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,' it read. Week 41 revealed a new haircut and week 42 was dedicated to 'getting back in shape'.
Week 49: Mrs Miller shows herself 'all made-up for a holiday dinner with her family'
Week 9: The combination of a self portrait and an x-ray created this sandwiched image, after muscle tension had been causing Mrs Miller pain which led to the x-ray
Week 43: Mrs Miller was inspired to feature blues from the peacock eyelashes she picked up over the Halloween holiday
'I have embarked on a basement fitness routine and have made it on week so far. It's not glamorous and it's not pretty but it works. So I took this photo as it sums up my week 42 quite well,' Mrs Miller wrote.
Mrs Miller, who describes herself as 'an atypical soccer mom,' said: 'This project was a result of a few things. The first was turning forty which feels like a big year, and in retrospect turned out to be a big year for me.'
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