The idea of labor and delivery can be scary for any new mother, and bringing home an infant opens a whole other can of fears. But photographer Jenny Lewis captures the calm and soft moments between mother and child in the first 24 hours after they are born.
Her project “One Day Young” includes women in the London’s Hackney borough who Lewis solicited after an open call for her project.
In a Q&A with My Modern Met, Lewis says the project was partly inspired by having two children via natural birth. “I felt I had a duty to women to let them know it could be OK to offer images of support and encouragement,” she says in the interview.
So far, Lewis has photographed 80 subjects and has 30 more booked.
“Having photographed all sorts of people for years [Lewis has a hefty portfolio of celebrity and editorial portraits], I was struck by the lack of self consciousness in these portraits,” she says. “It really made me think about all the barriers people put up and the masks they hide behind when they are faced with a camera. These are, by far, the most natural portraits I have ever taken. The women are just themselves with nothing to prove, they have such a sense of pride and strength.”
Looking for more on birth and newborn photography? Check out these helpful newborn-portrait tips from Kelly Brown.