Photographs to help you heal

Sometimes booking a session with me can be a little bit of an emergency.  At least it's felt that way a few times.  I've had women write to me because they're on a timeline.  Something big is about to change, and they want to remember this moment, right now, before the change comes.

Years ago, this amazing mama wrote to me asking if I'd photograph her with her 15 month old. The timeline was a bit tight, she said. She'd been diagnosed with breast cancer, and was going in for a double mastectomy on Tuesday. In 4 days. She wanted to memorialize this time, to celebrate her body, to hold on to something tangible from this period of her motherhood, her womanhood, her life. This wasn't about darkness and gloom.  She was filled with optimism and hope for a cancer-free future.  But she still wanted to be able, in the future, to touch back and see evidence of her body, and her bond with her baby, and to celebrate this moment.

So we sat together in the yard, the two of them snuggling and examining each other, exactly as they are.

That same mama came back to my studio for more photographs.  Years had passed, and she had another sweet child.  She wanted to capture another specific transition.  She had gone through reconstructive surgery for her breasts, and she had gotten a new tattoo.

The tattoo spreads onto her breasts, and adds new life and a new kind of beauty. These later sessions are all about her new body, her bond with her brilliant little ones, and the evolution of her motherhood.

This mama, below, came to me the day before she went into surgery for a postpartum complication.  She was just a few months postpartum with her third little boy, and she was told that she wouldn't likely be able to continue nursing her newborn after the surgery. She was devastated at the prospect of the loss of their nursing relationship.  So she asked to have some time with all three of her sons, as well as her mom, in the studio.

The hour they were with me was a little bit of everything.  Absolute love, deep joy, and moments of buoyant, playful chaos.  Having three small boys in the studio is what you would expect.  High energy, running around, lots of laughing.

But also moments of lovely quiet, and deeply meaningful snuggling and bonding. 

And she got to nurse her baby on camera.  That was a big moment.  An emotional moment.  And one I'm so grateful I got to capture.  

I don't know if coming to my studio is a way of healing yourself, exactly.  But I do think that looking at honest photographs of ourselves and our little ones can be incredibly touching and moving, and can change something in us.  I think seeing ourselves as others see us can be surprising and deep.  And when you come in to the studio with the intention of being totally present with your baby or children, it's amazing what comes through.  Your pure love.  Your joy.  Your deep connection.

It's powerful to have someone reflect back to us that our bond with our babies matters.  The work you're putting into them -- I can see that.  It is not invisible, and in fact, it's really quite stunning.  I always hope that my photographs show you what I see in the room.  Those small moments and big feelings.