Comments on: mothers and photography

By: peripheral vision blog » Blog Archive » hindsight

peripheral vision blog » Blog Archive » hindsight — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:57:22 +0000

[...] how I wanted to find a way to represent motherhood through photography without using pictures of my kid? Well I think I [...]

By: peripheral vision blog » Blog Archive » on inspiration and mothers

peripheral vision blog » Blog Archive » on inspiration and mothers — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:38:41 +0000

[...] series (also through JM Colberg). I find her work really interesting, and as I’ve already written here, I’m particularly interested in explorations of motherhood. Apparently, a professor of [...]

By: f2point4

f2point4 — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:44:48 +0000

Hi Kate.

Thanks for commenting on my blog! Wish you had told me you’d drop in, and I’d have made a coffee!

So I came to visit you back, and I really liked this entry. It’s very interesting, and a like that fact that you are looking for new angles. I think you made a good start and I am sure it will be a fascinating journey for you.

All the best for this year, and let us know how your documentary workshop goes, will you?

By: niobe

niobe — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:59:41 +0000

I’m with Beck on pretty much all counts. I love the post. I love the photos. (especially the third one) But I’ve been a mother for sooo long (17 years now) that the idea of motherhood isn’t all that significant to me. Well, my own motherhood, anyway. I’m still fascinated by posts like this that give me a window into someone else’s concept of motherhood.

By: Beck

Beck — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:07:48 +0000

Lovely photos AND lovely post.
I’m not interested, so much, in capturing my experiences with motherhood but I’m not a very… what’s the word? A very introverted mother, I guess.I literally don’t think about it that much – but since I’ve been a mother for nearly a decade now, it’s been my primary adult identity for a LOOONG time. I do take lots of pictures of my kids, but they’re mostly intended as memory prompts for some cold, far-off day when they’re grown and gone. Booo hoooo! I’m crying just thinking about it.

By: Mad

Mad — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:19:40 +0000

OK, I just tried to write a response to this but it ended up getting bogged down in the reality of my life wherein I cannot find literal distance from my child and therefore cannot also achieve artistic distance.

By: kate w

kate w — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:03:48 +0000

Andrea, I don’t think that photographs exploring motherhood HAVE to exclude children and their detritus; just that photographs of our kids don’t necessarily make motherhood the subject of the photo.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:49:18 +0000

That’s interesting. Now you’ve got me wondering how you take photographs exploring motherhood without including either children or their detritus. I hope you’ll keep posting your efforts.

This meaning-and-motherhood thing is funny. I remember losing myself completely. for about eighteen months I couldn’t think of writing anything but blog posts. And I know what those writers mean when they talk about integrating pre- and post-children selves. But at teh same time I know what you mean, too, about finding meaning, or at least finding a motivation to find meaning, after motherhood. Before Frances was born I had a deep dark nihilist streak and struggled with existential depression on a frequent basis. Life was a fluke, nothing we did had any objective or inherent meaning, might as well die. and now, while I still struggle with those questions in the abstract, at the very least the meaning of my own life is crystal clear. And my desire to give my own life a deeper and truer meaning has only intensified. I couldn’t even begin to calculate the value of such a gift.

By: Nigel Merrick

Nigel Merrick — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:02:12 +0000

You have some really nice work on here and I love your writing style. The blog name “Peripheral Vision” has to be one of the coolest names I’ve seen and I wish I had thought of it!

I look forward to reading more from you, and will definitely add a link to your blog from mine.

By: Mad

Mad — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:06:19 +0000

I really like the pj torso shot. There’s something about the lines and curves and the way that a mother’s eye is drawn to movement and minutiae in a way that is acts as metonymy for an overwhelming love that couldn’t possibly taken in in its entirety.

There’s likely more to say but it’s day care pickup time. Ah, motherhood.