Well, something I have learned from a book that’s called Birthing from Within.
I didn’t start reading this book because I didn’t know much about pregnancy, birth, and the spiritual growth that comes with it. I started reading it because I wanted to learn more about how women develop during pregnancy. About how they experience this period. And about what changes for a woman when she surrenders to this huge transformation.
“The other side” is something I often hear and also read about in this book.
Because once you become a mother, you are no longer the same woman you were before. In a wonderful way.
During my pregnancy and birth shoots, I photograph women who are in the middle of this changing phase. And especially new mothers.
As a photographer, I am becoming more and more aware that I am not just photographing pregnancy or motherhood. But what I capture are women experiencing change, in their bodies, in their emotions, and deep within themselves. Women standing at the threshold of a new chapter, letting go of parts of who they were while discovering who they are becoming.
Women who are learning to know themselves again.
Women who change, grow, and surrender to something bigger than themselves.
Maybe that is why I love photographing these moments so much. Because I get to witness a woman becoming someone new. To capture a part of her journey that she may not always be able to see herself.
And when I see the images later while editing, I look back at the whole shoot with so much admiration.
At her. At her strength. At everything that is happening inside her at that moment, even though it is not always visible.
And I hope you'll see that too when you look at your own images.
Because we are sooo much more than just mothers,
We are women. 🤍