The Motherhood Collective is a year long project by a group of like-minded photographers capturing real moments and precious images of ourselves with our children. 

Together, we are embarking on a year long personal project, encouraging each other to step outside of our comfort zone, lay aside our need for technical perfection, ignore those stubborn extra pounds on our waistlines, and simply cherish these simple, beautiful moments with our babies.

(Scroll to the bottom to see the next photographer in the collective and read her story)

Read Vol. 1-4 HERE.

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To be perfectly honest, it felt as though this month’s Motherhood Collective session half fell in my lap, half was the work of some fairy godmother. Oh, I had a few plans in mind; a dress was picked out, the time of day selected. But other than that, I still felt a little lost until one day, out of the blue, my husband suggested visiting a new place we had never been before. At first, I was just going to let it be him and the kids but I needed a break from my to-do list and decided to go along, too. At the last minute, I stuck my “work camera” in our backpack, reminding myself that I had made the commitment to capture as many candid moments as possible.

It was the perfect day and we had so much fun just spending time together as a family and I captured some really great moments (that I’ll be sharing sometime in the next week or so). By the time we climbed back in the car, I realized that this place had been more than simply pretty or enjoyable. It had been the embodiment of all things Alaska and had stolen my heart somewhere along the way. And in that instant, I knew that we had found the spot for this month’s mommy & kids pictures.

Surrounded by mountains, with a glacier-fed river running alongside, this spot had everything I could hope for in a location and I cannot wait to shoot all the upcoming maternity, family, and children sessions here this summer!

As for the Motherhood Collective session (Vol. 5!) everything went perfectly. The weather was gorgeous, the sun was high enough to give lovely light, yet still cast a warm glow across the scenery. A light breeze kept all the bugs at bay while causing Samantha’s hair to dance across her cheeks (of course, we had forgotten to bring a barrette). And although the kids started off excited to the point of hyperness, by the end we were laughing and twirling and playing and cuddling. All the beautiful memories that I hold onto in between the tantrums and bad dreams.

Each month’s installment has had a different, unique feel, but this one was filled with something special. Maybe it was the location, maybe it was the light, maybe it was the clothes, maybe it was the cuddles. Or maybe it was a little bit of everything, mixed with a sprinkling of heavenly blessings, to create the kind of magical joy-filled moment that I will cherish the rest of my life.

The Motherhood Collective is shared as a blog circle, so you can click the link below to visit the next blog, and so on, until you arrive back here in Alaska. I encourage you to grab a cup of coffee and take a few minutes to see these lovely women with their children and read the words that come straight from the heart. By the time you come back around, you’ll want to hug your own baby close and cover them with kisses.

Visit fellow mother & photographer Lauren with Lauren Margaret Photography to see her May contribution.