When Motherhood and Photography Collide

Chatting over the phone with mother/writer/author Jennifer New (of no relation to me although oddly enough my maiden name is New) I was asked to reflect on how motherhood has affected my photography for a piece she was writing for her blog Mothers of Invention. Wow. How hasn’t motherhood affected every part of me (photography included)?

She graciously listened as I spilled my guts on subjects like my dirty laundry and post-partum depression (pun intended) among many others, that for me are all tied up with my creativity and being a parent. As I recalled the days, the hours, the minutes of life with a newborn, I couldn’t help but feel cracked open again just as I did when I became a mother. It was the revisiting of those tender and tumultuous times that exposed me once more and reminded me of my intense dependency on my creativity, on expressing myself in words and pictures and seeing and documenting my life though my lens.

Did becoming a mother change my photography?

Does a torrential deluge change a landscape?

It begins as a quenching of a deep thirst; glorious, refreshing, welcomed. And as the water continues to pour down, it can seem relentless, and as everything is saturated, full, there remains no room for anything else. Then comes landslides and quicksand. And the feeling that there is no end in sight. The days are dark and the nights are darker. There is nothing to do but wait...and trudge through. Because you have to and there’s something about the smell of the rain and the clean air that sustains you.

Eventually the clouds break and the sun peeks through with the promise of hope. And if you’re lucky, a rainbow. At last, the gradual dry-out begins. Slowly the tiny sprigs of green hope emerge from the soil, fed and fertile. Blooms begin, the birds return to the sky and sing a song like no other. A world that is so new, so beautiful it’s almost painful.

I remember almost to the day when the sun warmed my face and the light almost blinded me. It didn’t come a minute too soon.

Although, the past feels so palpable when I speak of it, write about it, I do recall those early days as foggy. Spotty memories, shadows, tiny sparkles of light and shimmers amidst a hazy shadows. I recall that my camera was with me through it all as a trusted friend, an extension of myself, a microscope, seeing eye glasses, a necessity. It helped me to find impossible beauty when I didn't have the strength to see it for myself. When my camera became a saving grace, that’s when it all changed. And I have the pictures to prove it.

I encourage you to read Jennifer’s piece on photography and motherhood at Mothers of Invention. If by chance it’s not up yet when you click over (and even if it is) be sure to read Mama’s Got a Brand New Blog while you’re over there. I know you’ll love that one too!

What has affected or changed your photography? Is there an image that speaks of the transformation?

Comments

[Aimee]

Fantastic post! Very touching and very real. Thanks for sharing!

[Jeanine]

Tracey, that post was so beautiful and raw and inspiring. I'm not a mother but everything changed for me the day my 12-year relationship ended, in February. That is when I moved back to Montreal, found a place of my own and bought my dream camera (a girl needs to treat herself to something nice after her heart has been broken and dragged through the dirt :)

This photo was taken on the day my ex drove me to the airport, where we said goodbye. It's nothing earth shattering because my eyes were so tear-blurred, I could barely see through the viewfinder... but it was significant.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15607464@N03/2272553776/in/set-72157603665822286/

[shelli]

Well, Jeanine's comment just made me cry!! What a beautiful post.

I think what has changed my photography has been a gradual process. Motherhood changed my whole life, and for the first two years, I only had a point n' shoot. My new DSLR has definitely changed my photography. I believe looking at all the beautiful photos on this site and on Flickr has inspired me to look at the world differently. My new (used) 50mm f/1.8 is changing my photography. My new website is making me think differently about photography. The time I'm devoting to photography is growing, so just thinking about it, thinking about light and what I want to shoot next....all that is changing my photography. Realizing I have a passion for this...it's like falling in love.

http://www.mamaofletters.com/Site/The_Focal_Point/Entries/2008/11/5_Old_Wood.html

[Bunny]

Tracey, this is so poignant and true for me. I almost feel like I could have written it myself. In those early days of motherhood things were often dark and difficult. It was seeing my children through a lens as the amazing blessed creatures they are that I could notice the beauty and divinity around me. My camera has made me stop and listen and look at the world around me and see things differently.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/motherbunny/sets/72157602409072865/

[brittany]

i have come to desire a new point of view. i cant help but shoot him from his level.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sivyerfamily/2992239165/

[ELK]

my photography has brought my teenager and I closer together ~ it is an art we both cherish, laugh about and love:

http://www.redorgray.com/2008/10/akk.html

[Elizabeth Harper]

"New Beginnings" is a photograph I took for a new mother....

http://www.giftsofthejourney.com/Elizabeth_Harper-Gifts_of_the_Journey/Blog/Entries/2008/11/5_New_Beginnings.html

[Wayfaring Wanderer]

Encouraging, inspirational, thoughtful, and creative bloggers who never fail to amaze me is what has transformed my photography. To them I owe a very special thanks, which is why I'm doing a series of giveaways. Today I announced the first set of winners!

http://www.wayfaringwanderer.com/2008/10/share-love-giveaway-winners.html

[renee @ FIMBY]

Totally identify with Shelli. A new camera. Suddenly what I only dreamed possible with a little point and shoot was now a reality. I think this photo speaks of that transformation. There is no way I could of done this with my old camera and getting this shot thrilled me to pieces.

http://fimby.tougas.net/Sunset-Strawflowers-photo?size=_original

[A Yummy Life/Jodi]

There is nothing like capturing those sweet moments of your own children.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ayummylife/3004762012/

[Marcy]

What an incredible, and so true, analogy to motherhood. My son's impending birth was our motivation to buy our dslr camera. I have taken more pictures in the past 9 months, than I possible ever have in my life before then. Sure, the vast majority of them are of him, but I've also captured images that to me are so beautiful and make me so proud. It is my son who introduced me to this whole new world.

[Jodyangel]

You know Tracy I have always been the "picture" taker. But I held disposible cameras in hand when my kids were little. Darn it! I was dabbling in other arts at the time; childrens boutique clothing and custom heirloom sewing for one.
But I have zillions of pictures of those times.
I now feel almost compelled to look around me and take photo's of my everyday life. I don't want to forget this moment in time. It's almost like freezing things for another time.

This is why I want to learn to be a great photographer..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/2976651654/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/2892266939/in/set-72157606672278497/

but I also now understand better the capturing of common things and making them Spectacular!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3004798869/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/2968153350/

Thank you Tracy for sharing your talents. Both in photography and in writing.. =)

[spread your wings]

Photography has created a special bond between me and my daughter - grand adventures together with memories that will last a life time.

http://autumnsun08.blogspot.com/2008/11/photography-creates-bond.html

[staciesmadness]

I think I see beauty now, as a mother, where I might not have taken the time to see before.

[Gail]

Digital cameras have made such a difference in my picture taking life....I have a few fading pictures in albums of my parents and my own childhood...I have curling,yellowing pictures in photo boxes of my children's childhood...but in the film days altho I enjoyed taking pics I couldn't afford to take enough to satisfy me - or to improve and play with photos. My interest in photography grew when I first got a small digital point and shoot camera and has expanded the more I use it...now I have grandchildren and can take as many pictures as I want (or they will tolerate)! Now I use the camera to shore up my memory of all the beauty in everyday happenings - so many that I couldn't save in my pre digital days!

This picture is one of the first with my new digital camera in 2002
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22733432@N08/3005334437/

[JustHay]

I discovered photography when I was already a mother. But I think it helps me to notice the little things. Great post Tracey!

[Monica]

Beautifully written. Thank you for these words.

[Julie Alvarez]

My photography changed with the moving into our own house. It made me be aware of the little home thigs around me, that I already loved very much, but never got to picture so daily. Also, digital technology changed it. But not entirely because I still take pictures in film.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2988869701/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2984181024/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliealvarez/2988410115/

[teresa]

I'm not a professional photographer by any means, but what gets me going with my camera more often than not is the simple act of preparing food.

Ever since I joined a CSA (www.farmfreshtoyou.com), I can't resist taking shots of my dinner at every stage of its preparation and presentation. Such color, texture, richness and variety! I even have an entire photoset dedicated to the subject.

Here's one shot that shows what I mean: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beatlequee/3005683239/in/set-72157608681756146?deletedcomment=1

[Rachel Parton]

Well, I don't have children yet, so I can't speak to that -- but I can talk about the changes I've experienced with photography. I've always been interested in photography, but until fairly recently I always assumed it was one of those things that talented, artsy people could do & I couldn't. Then I just started taking pictures of people & things I loved, and soon I was hooked.

My husband bought me a Nikon D40 last Christmas, and as I learn more, I love photography more. I love browsing through the photos my sisters share here - the beautiful details that people pull from daily life.

Photography has been a catalyst in itself too. I think photography has helped me pay more attention to the beauty of God's creation - people, nature, the disparity between what he intended and what is...

For me, photography is a new way to further enjoy life!

[Secret Agent Mama / Mishelle Lane]

Simply stated, I have discovered that there is a passion inside of me. And, that is just something to be in awe of.
My eyes see more now, and I am grateful for this!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/secretagentmama/2960132760/

[Jennifer]

LOVE reading all of these comments, especially about motherhood helping you see the little things and find beauty in them. You're also all really making me want a nicer camera!

Thanks for your beautiful post, Tracey

[Cheryl Doran-Girard]

Once upon a time there was a woman, who fancied herself a photographic artist. She wandered the back roads and byways of the place she lived making images of foggy mountain mornings, breath-taking ocean sunsets, colorful dew-laden blossoms, and autumnal vineyards.
With the birth of the first of two of the most handsome and intelligent grandchildren in the known universe in 2004, she fell hopelessly in love. She found her shutter finger dancing while making image after image of small feet, grimy faces, sad tears, and wide gap-toothed smiles.

"The most compelling image in the world is a still photograph of someone you love. It will touch you at unexpected moments as it stares back at you from the refrigerator door."
Nick Klesh

www.flickr.com/photos/cheryldoran-girard/229444474/

[Jamie]

Today all my love is going out to my friend E. She's in surgery today having a lump removed from her breast.

http://umbrellablog.com/love-thursday/love-thursday-2/