Sunday Morning: The Family Bed
When I was growing up, my mother had a small black and white photograph of our family sleeping together in her bed. It was framed on her bedroom wall. My grandmother had taken the photo one morning when she was visiting, surprised to find all five of us crammed together like sardines. I remember thinking as a child how strange it was that my mom had this photo displayed so prominently-- so proudly. It's subject was something so mundane to me-- the tangle of limbs we woke up to every morning. But as a mother with a family bed of my own now, I understand why that photo was so special to her. One of her favorite axioms is "this too shall pass", and she reminds me of this whenever I call her up to vent about the trials of the day. One day the crick in my neck, the 3am kick in the gut, and the baby in my armpit will be a reminiscence of this season of my life. I knew that I needed to document it with a photograph-- to make this memory tangible.
This is a photo series of real co-sleeping families, in their beds, as they are when they wake up in the morning.
Young Mother
I believe that portraiture is powerful. For young mom's struggling with their sense of self and identity postpartum, the overwhelm of the new role they find themselves in, and the weight of the responsibility that comes with parenthood-- a photograph is a valuable tool to foster a renewed sense of self-awareness and, hopefully, self-appreciation. This photo series celebrates the young mother and her intuitive ability to mother.
Lest I Forget,
scenes from my life.
