“There is only one sun. We can’t all claim to only have one way to use the light, but we can REDEFINE how we choose to express it.”
Why are you passionate about photographing bath tub sessions?
After I became a mother, I became really invested in making images that really reflect mothering in deep and real ways. I felt drawn to help record mothering as a complicated, beautiful and difficult thing; an intertwined and love filled heart ache. Mothering is glorious and exhausting, it is joyful and frustrating. I wanted to make portraits of mothers deep into their mothering that they can hold onto as their children grow and become more independent.
When did you first realize you liked bath tub sessions?
When I made the first bath tub session, it happened organically and as a natural offshoot of our maternity session. I walked into Shea’s house and doing my normal, pre-session walk through I came into their master bath and saw a dream come true. I basically begged her to consider a bubble bath with her toddler. She was wonderfully open to the idea and as it happened, the serenity and intimacy of mother and child bathing really sparked my inspiration. I have always been deeply moved by Mary Cassatt’s paintings of mothers and children, especially the bathing ones so I felt like the time was right to pursue this concept creatively.
What are the tips you would share with anyone trying to break into offering bathtub sessions?
What were the challenges for you in the beginning?
Initially, that first session was so natural and spontaneous that it just happened like a dream. When I actually started to do tub sessions with purpose and intent, I was super worried that there wouldn’t be a lot of interest. I also discovered that a LOT of bathrooms don’t have amazing light or are VERY cluttered up. I had to learn to create a flow in which i set moms and babies at ease while i worked into a lighting plan and cleared up all the bits of things I wasn’t going to want in the shot ( i.e. that pile of loofahs and washcloths).
About the photographer:
Becoming a mother changed my heart, my mind, (yes, my body, too) and my whole world. Before my son tipped over my universe, I made photographs of families. Now, my eyes look for the strings of love that connect families and I make portraits of your hearts.
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