There is No Flaw in You

In the client’s own words:
Today, a man stared at me while breastfeeding.
My baby and boob were covered. At 8 months to be covered without so much as a flailing arm is a rarity.
Nevertheless the staring man confidentially said, while never breaking his stare, he confidentially said; “Breastfeeding and c-sections are disgusting. Such a pity for a beautiful woman to willingly destroy her body.” He continued to go on about how hideous both breast and scared tummies are.

I debated posting this, but I think a lot of times we see things on social media and casually think this isn’t an issue close to home, because we’ve not experienced it firsthand.
I was told it would be hard to find a man to love me, because my body was wrecked after I found myself a single mom at seventeen.
This is life.
My body has carried three beautiful babies.
Do not let selfish men or a backward world tell you that the process and proof of life is not beautiful.
We are not meant to be ageless and without cracks.”You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.”-Song of Solomon 4:7

My Whole World

Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s.
-Anais Nin


Thanks to the beautiful new mom Alyssa for making two trips to the studio to make this profound statement on the beauty of motherhood possible.

Abby and June

Abby and June were my first session of 2014, coming to the studio when June was only days old. Big sister Faith was along too and she’ll be featured in a lighting blog as my weekly contribution here: http://blogtogs.com.

Here though we celebrate a loving mother who has gone above and beyond in her support of other breastfeeding mothers in the area. Thus she becomes Woman as Art:

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By the way – if you’re interested in celebrating your beauty and becoming Woman as Art – email me and find out how:

 

Abby wrote this after seeing the images of her session. I found it quite touching:

“Yesterday I took the plunge. I went to a photo shoot and took my shirt off. I’d like to say I did this for other women to show them that a mothers body is beautiful, but I didn’t. I did this for myself. I can preach about beauty all day long but if I don’t believe it myself, I am nothing. I had been avoiding this shoot for over a year now. Here it is, my sagging natural breasts that nourish my little one. My shoulders, those that bear stress and hunch over when I cradle my babies. In other photos, my belly; once taut and flat, now covered in stretch marks and flabby. I am a mother. I am woman. I am a wonderful and I am art.

Thank you, Cliff Ingram as so many before me have said before. You are the gateway I needed.”

One of Life’s Greatest Joys

One of life’s greatest joys, is apparently – nursing a toddler. That’s what one of the moms wrote after this photo session Sunday. Laci is the mom standing on the right, and Desmond is attempting a fast escape in this particular shot. Laci is a graphic designer and did much of the editing on this particular photo.Silly-Toddlersw

What an honor it was to have these beautiful women in the studio for the group breastfeeding shoot! Their children were so happy and ‘exploring’ – helping me find dirt and things I didn’t know I had. You’re all welcome to come back any time. Because a woman loving and nourishing her child, is truly, a work of art.

Breastfeeding

I have been approached twice by friends to add my ‘take’ on breastfeeding. This I am happy to do. We sometimes forget of the power of a woman – the ability to bring life into the world, and the ability to sustain and nourish that life.

First is Laci. You can read more about her struggles and success HERE. Her son recently celebrated his first birthday, and I was honored to be there with my camera.

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And this is Abby. I heard today there will be more of these photos in the near future as she celebrates what she’s able to share with her daughter.

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