Nursing Extravaganza

If you are a breastfeeding mom, then I am sure you have gotten wind of this controversy... While nursing is personal choice, we occasionally have the chance to publicly support the lactation cause (it is a cause right?) This quest to support breastfeeding started for me when my son Elias was one and a half. As part of my thesis work at RISD, I did a public projection of a nursing video, my toddler and myself in an endless loop- nursing forever on North Main Street and then in a gallery. To me, what is personal in life, becomes political in art. So begins my interest in the image of the nursing mother.

Two years ago, I had the chance to photograph a number of women nursing their babies and toddlers as part of an ongoing body of work about breast feeding. I was so proud of the mothers who shared this experience with me. I happened to be nursing my son Gabrie in my Ergo while shooting ( a feat that may sound impressive, but more an act of desperation to finish the shoot before a late nap meltdown.) I was thrilled to be making images that depict the tenderness and radness of breast feeding babies and toddlers (while my baby was snacking no less).

As a Center for Breastfeeding Certified Lactation Counselor, and mother of three breastfed babies, I can say that nursing is not always easy, but the rewards are great. I hope that the images I make of nursing women speak to the amazing gift that lactation is...  Here is a sampling of some work from the shoot two years ago:

Info for this years shoot info will go up on the blog as soon as a location is settled on. You will receive three full resolution files as thanks for your participation. I will require a model release as well.

Oh, and check out this video for those who missed the previous blog post:

http://agroterrabirth.blogspot.com/2012/04/la-teta-to-give-breast-is-to-give-life.html