Studio Stories with Thea (February 2022)
I want my daughter to know
That if her soul is made
to exist among the wildflowers
Untamed and uncontained
There is nothing that will change;
I will love her all the same
I will love her in her chaos
I will love her through the weeds
I will heal her barren patches;
Rewild them with my seeds
For my soul's existed in these wildflowers
It has dwelled in meadows deep
With shame and sadness, equal
These are stories she won't keep
~ KC
In an effort to document my little girl Thea more, I am bringing her in to the studio once a month for a portrait session. I realised at the end of last year that I don’t record her little face enough; I have become so bogged down in client work, that my original mission of detailing her life has fallen by the wayside. This month, I invited Issy from Wizz & Wild to help create a wilderness type scene for us to nestle into. Issy foraged these winter hedgerows from the farm she lives on and works from, and they were perfect. We even found a little ladybird hidden in the branches, which Thea was absolutely delighted about.
This month has been a bit tricky, truth be told. Thea’s daddy had Covid in December, meaning I had to postpone all of the shoots I had booked into an already packed-out January (back to back shooting almost every day). I planned some days to catch up on admin & editing early February, and OF COURSE, her childminder was felled by the Covid axe and we were back in the no-childcare camp. These shots were taken during that frantic week - it was actually really lovely to stop and be together for a few hours without the epic juggle of work and childcare. We played music, cuddled on the bed, and generally just had a really lovely morning. The studio is so incredibly peaceful; it’s set in a castle, surrounded by beautiful Bath/Cotswolds countryside, and it never fails to deliver with this magical light. I feel like I’ve really found my creative safe-haven - it really is such a delight to work and play in here.
I am already scheming & dreaming of the next photos I will take with Thea in this space; I love that this little project has given me a new enthusiasm for getting out my ‘good’ camera for personal use, and taking photos of my sweet girl. I hope she will treasure these in years to come; an artful record of our love, our laughter, and bond.
