The skin of a woman is like a road map.
It shows you where she has been.
It shows where she still has to go.
It tells the ways she has been strong, and leads you to where she wants to be stronger.
She might think it shows where she is weak, but really it shows you where she is beautiful, and strong.
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.
I always try to see what kind of mood I can get the images to portray, and sometimes it happens by accident. This time I got two.
This one seems to have a big of angst in it, as if she’s trying to tear away what’s holding her back.
And this one is just full of peace…
Her first – due any day.
Longer than Holly’s been pregnant actually. That long for her to realize that she needed to see how beautiful she really is. The bathroom mirror was lying to her, you see. And so while we spoke frequently spoke of what they’d look like, Holly had a little trouble seeing in her own mind what they’d be. Because of that mirror and the obnoxious bathroom lighting.
But this is what Holly really looks like:
When I renewed the conversation she said, “But I’m big and pregnant!”
“That’s EXACTLY how I want to photograph you,” was my reply.
This is is probably my favorite image of the session. It gives the appearance of her floating, as if she were a cloud.
Cassie has been featured on Woman as Art before, and I was happy to have her here in the studio again this week.
She’s about 33 weeks along, and is expecting to see her new son in about 6 weeks. He will join a big brother and two big sisters. They all got in the action during the session!
Someone might question the pose in the 3rd photo – with basically Cassie sitting like a man. She did say it was quite comfortable, but the artistic vision behind this is: this is historically a pose of power – and what’s more powerful than bringing life into the world.
And that’s just another way that a woman becomes a masterpiece.
I’m sure over the course of time there will be many images on this site of women who are expecting. I have found this type of work to be extraordinarily beautiful, and I’m grateful to capture women in this way.
I run across many mothers-to-be who feel as though they’re ‘ugly’ and bloated and sometimes – just call themselves fat. I have found pregnant bodies by and large to be graceful, beautiful, and breath-taking.
This is Darcee:
Katy:
Kaytlyn:
Tiffany:
Woman as Art 