“It is nothing short of a miracle to be in the presence of a farm animal who has managed to reach old age.”

Photographer Isa Leshko is terrified of growing old. After caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s disease, she was “forced to confront her own mortality,” but she intended to face this fear in an unconventional way. Leshko began visiting farm sanctuaries across the U.S. to snap pictures of the geriatric animals that lived there. Over the course of nearly a decade, however, the project shifted focus from being a vehicle for Leshko’s anxiety to activism. She now uses her images as a way to speak on behalf of these creatures.

The resulting series called Allowed to Grow Old features subdued black and white portraits that capture the animals in their habitat. They offer a dignified yet unflinching look at the hard lives these creatures have endured.[…]

Source: Powerful Portraits of Rescued Farm Animals Who Were Allowed to Grow Old