From the moment I started following Katharine, I knew I wanted to photograph her. The way she writes about her daily life with her daughter reads like a painting, captivating you and walking you through her journey of motherhood; through the raw moments of raising an adventurous child in my favorite place on Earth, Maine. Her words are poetic and I had the feeling her presence would be too, and my intuition was spot on. We met just before sunset and Lauralie, a child filled with confidence and joy, led the way through the woods, skipping over tree roots down the path toward one of my favorite spots in town, smiling ear to ear even while dusting the dirt off of her knees. We set our bags by the treeline and waded into the cool waters to photograph as the last of the day's light slipped from the indigo sky. Spending the evening with the two of them in front of my camera was absolutely inspiring. Katharine's gentle spirit is mirrored in Lauralie’s and the graceful way in which she navigates through motherhood is nothing short of admirable, it was truly an honor to spend the evening in the presence of such a loving connection, and even more so, to be able to document these moments for the two of them to look back on.
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I feel so eternally blessed to have been gifted with the opportunity to work with Morgan. From the moment I saw her work, I was drawn to her composition, and somewhere along the way, we met on the same wavelength of thought. This place, that had become such a dear and crucial part of my life, has been a place that resonated with Morgan's soul too, where she had dreamed of capturing a loving moment, as she so terrifically does.
Upon her invitation for adventure, I felt honored to be recognized as a loving parent, with a joyous and loved daughter. As I timidly began to explain my life with my sweet young girl, to Morgan, and my vulnerability unfurled, I knew that my words and our story were held in compassionate and honoring hands. From the moment we stepped out into the field, I began to feel akin to her energy, and as she daringly stepped into the water to capture the unfolding moments, I knew she was cut from a similar cloth. Her ability to gleefully engage and guide my very energetic toddler's mind was effortless, genuine, and flowing, and her tender, accepting hand in aligning stray hairs was completely natural, calm, kind and comfortable. I trusted in full faith that with her eyes, we would be truly seen. The results confirmed what my heart already knew. With dreamy tones of creamy white, peachy pink, deep browns, golden light, gentle green and ink, and haunting black and whites, as well the love behind a mother's tender, helping hands, the joy in a smile, and the promise in caring eyes, it reflected back the life we live each day.
In truth, I pray that my daughter sees me, and the world sees us, the way Morgan does. In a snapshot of an hour, I know that if documentation of love is ever called for, I want it to be seen in just this light. Morgan's sense of adventure was remarkably aligned with mine and came as an always welcome reminder to drink the wild air.
- Katharine
In this moment, Laura's little hand traced across a freckle on her mothers cheek as she explained to me that it was a "fairy kiss." Her little face lit up when she told me that she had fairy kisses too, but I chose to capture her mothers expression in this moment, because in twenty years this little girl will treasure that. She'll recall ways in which her mother taught her to celebrate every inch of herself and she'll see in this the beauty and immensity of her mothers love.
