"Looking at these pictures afterwards, I also feel something very strong — an undeniable beauty and a powerful force that shines bright, all naturally," Mannaerts said.
A mom with her child in Nepal.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
Mannaerts captioned this photo "a moment of eternity." It was taken in Bhaktapur, Nepal.
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He said he also felt a sense of pride, love, and grace coming from the mothers he photographed.
A proud mom.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
This mom and son were photographed in Yuanyang, China.
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Mannaerts said he felt good documenting the mothers. "When a mother poses with her child, happiness radiates automatically."
A mom and son share a look.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
A mother and her son bathe in the holy waters of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.
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Some even asked to be photographed after seeing Mannaerts' camera.
Mannaerts came across this mom and her child walking through the Gorges of Todra in Tinerhir, Morocco.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
He said they felt proud to pose with their children, like this mother in Morocco.
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He told Insider that most of the mothers he met during his travels were happy to pose.
Mannaerts described capturing this mother and her child at 7 a.m. in Pushkar, India, as "a moment of total magic and mystery."
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
Mannaerts said that only a few mothers refused.
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"I simply want to show the beauty of motherhood, its universality all around the world, and the richness of its apparent differences," he said.
A mother and her daughter in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
He told Insider the photos are all about "humanity and emotion."
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Mannaerts' favorite photo from the series features a mother kissing her son during a tribe gathering in Ethiopia's Omo Valley.
Mannaerts enjoyed watching this mother play with her son during a tribal gathering.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
Mannaerts told Insider he has a large copy of the photo hanging in his apartment in Brussels.
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... to Harran, Turkey.
This was taken in Harran in Southeastern Turkey.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
A mom and her son are pictured outside their home.
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He photographed mothers in places that ranged from Sapa, Vietnam ...
This mother and her child are part of one of Vietnam's main ethnic groups, the Black Hmong.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
Many of the mothers in this region of Vietnam carry their children on their backs as they walk into town.
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The resulting series took over a decade to put together.
While traveling in Brazil, Mannaerts stayed with Lucila and her son Gabriel (pictured above), as well as Lucile's husband, Isaias.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
Mannaerts said he was working on multiple other projects during this time as well.
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After meeting a number of mothers and their children throughout his travels, Mannaerts was inspired to start photographing them.
Mannaerts met this mom and her son while traveling to a monastery in Ladakh, India — a place that is nicknamed "Little Tibet."
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
This mom and her son live in India's Indus Valley in a small home made of mud and bricks.
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"In the process of total immersion in every culture I discover, I place the human being as the main focus in my photographic work," Mannaerts said.
A mother and her daughter enjoy posing during an afternoon in Maruyama Park in Kyoto, Japan.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
Speaking to Insider in 2018, he said his photos tend to "open dialogues and arouse emotions and questions."
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He told Insider that all the photos from his travels share an overarching theme.
A mom and son in Cuba.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
In this photo, Viviana and her son, Che, are pictured in their house in Havana, Cuba, where they live with 54 other families.
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Since then, Mannaerts has traveled to close to 50 countries for various photography projects.
A mother and her son wear thanaka — a powder made of wood and water that's used for makeup or sun protection — in Rangoon, Myanmar.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
In total, Mannaerts has visited around 80 countries.
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But it wasn't until a trip to India in 2000 that Mannaerts decided to start documenting his travels.
Puja and her two sons stand near the Thar Desert in Jaisalmer, India.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
It was this trip that made Mannaerts realize how much he enjoyed exploring Asia.
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Pascal Mannaerts discovered his love for photography when he was a student.
A mother dressed in traditional clothing poses with her son on the streets of Porto-Novo in Benin.
Courtesy of Pascal Mannaerts
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