As a mother have you found limited moments for your wild artistic expression to shine? well, as a photographer I have been aching for someone to share the same wild vision as I was having, someone that would feel comfortable to travel into new deep waters of my artistic mind and trust me entirely with such a raw and sensitive topic; motherhood.
Now when you think motherhood sessions, its usually happy dancing, cuddles and kisses, but for me I needed to go deeper, I need souls to shine and for my photographs to pull the heart strings, I need RAW uncovered feelings and this is exactly what I got.
The entire experience was surreal, Here stood in front of me a new mother and her son, vulnerable, afraid yet present in the moment, focused on her heart and I (tried to gracefully) step around her, catching the eyes of Toby and documenting everything that makes Brittany the incredible person she is today. The experience, the scars, the wounds we see, the sacrifices and the love, its motherhood uncut - and I am here for it.
The location I chose had been on my mind since I first started my business, its my childhood home and a place I hold dear, I am very much all about having my clients chose the right location to match their family, So I have kept this little beauty to myself until now, because there was no place better for a peaceful re-birth than here. We had the lake to ourselves, not a soul to be seen and the sound of fish jumping and water splashing against the rocks surrounded us.
Take a little read of what Brittany had to say about our session.
Brittany: There’s something incredibly powerful about photographs; they can capture a moment in time, preserving its history, or they can tell a story, evoke emotions in parts of us we never thought we’d feel. I have been very privileged to have had Kayla capture different moments in my life - from a boudoir shoot to my pregnancy announcement photos, I’ve always had full trust in her and her creative abilities. Kayla is not only family, but a friend. My son was born in May this year, and while his arrival was very welcomed, it occurred in less than ideal circumstances. On top of a world pandemic and isolation, my planned induction turned into sudden and severe pre-eclampsia, which then turned into an emergency c-section. I haemorrhaged on the operating table and postpartum, and spent two nights in the ICU, seeing my son only when he was brought down to me to feed. My journey into the world of motherhood felt wrong and disconnected. I felt incapable, weak, and afraid. As a young woman with existing complex mental illness, I had no idea how I was ever going to adjust to being a “mum”. Kayla had suggested to me a motherhood shoot in lieu of our cancelled maternity session (thanks COVID). She had a vision of sunset over water, of a
mother and son, and unconditional love. I agreed, but never felt like I was ready for it. “What if my Toby screams the whole time? How will I know what to do? What will people think of my body? Everyone will know I’m a total fraud and a bad mum.” The last 7 months have been long, sleepless, and hard. But they’ve also been full of smiles, excitement, and love. With the support of my husband, my friends, my family, my care team, and many hours of therapy, I’m finally getting to a point where I can move forward. I have never felt as weak or as strong as I have in motherhood.
My name is Brittany, and this is my son Toby. These photos are the story of our rebirth.
And now, a few photographs from the powerful session, which will forever hold a place in my heart and be my all time favorite session for 2020. So if you're a mama who loves her children fiercely with no limits, and you'd love that kind of love documented please send me a message! I have found myself within this style of photos, after breastfeeding my daughter for 15 months and missing out on having someone else capture the moments due to COVID, I feel SO strongly for being able to capture this for every other mama out there. I'm a Shepparton photographer, but you wont need to twist my arm to get me to travel!