I love this image because of the gaze the mother-to-be is giving the camera. I’m interested in the contrast between her natural beauty and powerful engagement of the lens. She is confident and transforming into someone else. She is owning every moment of that process. Part of her body will become another living entity. This is the portrait of a woman standing in full knowledge of the power flowing through her.
Photography is full of clichés and the maternity portrait is no exception. Soft, gauzy light, lots of sheets and rose petals- the mystery of gestation is often in seen in soft focus.
When I was commissioned to make this maternity portrait, I wanted to make something a little more in line with my feelings about the subject.
Women are the most fascinating and important ingredients to a worthwhile life. Pregnant women are interesting mainly because they are surrendering their bodies to grow another body. That kind of creation is near perfect.
For this portrait, I didn’t want to impose any “magic” to it. Being pregnant is enough. I used the 8x10 camera because it is simple and concise. It also has a sense of elegance to it that cannot be achieved any other way.
There are other images from this session that I really like but this one keeps jumping out at me. So, I’m sharing it. What do you think?