After her wild days - STEVEN R. TABOR

After her wild days

What do you do when the party's over?

I had the good fortune to collaborate with a remarkable model named Iga, a woman in her mid-thirties whose life, up until recently, had been a whirlwind of adventure and unpredictability. She described her past as a “wild life”—a vivid, free-spirited existence that took her from one continent to another. At various points, she was traveling with a professional DJ, pulling long nights at a bustling British pub, and working as an executive assistant in Cape Town. Through it all, she maintained a fierce balance—partying with abandon while also dedicating herself to an intense regimen of exercise. It was a rhythm she kept up, nonstop, for nearly twenty years.

By the time we met, Iga had reached a turning point. She told me candidly that she was beginning to leave her wilder days behind, shifting her energy toward more grounded pursuits—focusing more intently on her modeling and her travels, while also seeking a calmer, more centered existence.

In this series of images, Iga free-posed with a subtle vulnerability and self-awareness that, to me, reflected this personal evolution. There was a quiet introspection in her gestures—still dynamic, but more deliberate—as if she were embodying the transition from the chaotic thrill of youth to a more reflective, empowered phase of life.

To download a photobook of the full series, click here. For a photobook of her images in black and white, click here.