PHOTOS: A 4-Year Mission To Present A New Vision Of Beauty

"Romanian photographer Mihaela Noroc spent nearly four years shooting portraits of — and collecting stories about — women from around the world."

"The product of her vision — and her travels to 50 countries — can be seen in her book The Atlas Of Beauty, hitting shelves Tuesday."

"The project, she says, began as something "very genuine and sincere" that she financed, initially, with her own savings — and by being frugal in her backpacking adventure. She later crowd-funded, including a Facebook campaign in March."

"NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navaro spoke with the 31-year-old via phone from Berlin about her photography. This interview has been edited for length and clarity."