Home Life

I photograph my family and our environs to explore the struggles and joys I find with being a mother. No one could have told me what makes raising kids hard. The diaper changes are easy; the unexpected sacrifices, however, add up. No one could explain the gains either. It’s not just to be loved and trusted unconditionally. I have found perspective in all aspects of my life. The photographs in Home Life showcase how we exist together in the space we call home. Each day we go through the motions of dressing, mealtimes, messing up the house and cleaning up the house. Meanwhile, we grow, imagine, argue, test and resolve. Contrasting emotions repeat themselves daily. One moment, parenting is all consuming. The next, it is extremely freeing. It is too hard; it couldn’t be easier. I love it, I hate it. I want the project to reveal these contrasts. I want the photographs to be familiar, sometimes ironic, and often a bit humorous. My approach is spontaneous - grab the camera when a moment is unfolding. I prefer messy backgrounds, expressions lost in thought, frozen evolutions in the boys’ growth. The camera momentarily gives me a chance to be something more than a mother; I can be an observer and part of the story at the same time. The boys actions mirror my own; the photos are self-portraits.