april | sacred roots

The dream of my life

is to lie down by a slow river

And stare at the light in the trees-

To learn something by being nothing

-Mary Oliver

One fall day in the dreamy fog, I met April by my favorite tree, by my favorite river. April is a fellow artist and photographer and to have her come to me for sacred roots pictures was such a thrill. When I asked her more about why she was wanting them done now she simply said “I want them for my boys to see their mama IN the lens, but mostly it is incredibly freeing and a huge act of self love to do photos just of me and for me.”

When I started with sacred roots sessions, many years ago, I wanted it to be about so much more than the pictures. I wanted it to be about the experience. The cold water on your feet and the dirt in your hair. The way it felt to be really you in a moment (not mama, not wife, not your career). Just you. I wanted the moments to be sacred and soul filling.

My time with April was soul filling to me. She wove a wreathe of goldenrod and read aloud to me from her beloved Mary Oliver book. The tender words blending with the river to produce the sweetest song. She ventured into the freezing water and leaned into the roots of the trees that towered above. It was truly sacred.

I love the images we captured together. I’m usually a black and white gal but I can't resist the color in this series. I can see April one day, gathered with her children and grandchildren around her album, lovingly touching the images of youth and wonder, with choruses of “yep that’s our mama alright.”

sacred roots.