Rise Photo Co Photography

Her scars were like the golden seems used to repair broken pots in the Japanese art kintsukuroi. It’s believed the pottery is more beautiful for having been broken. We documented her new body post surgery to remove her implants after her breast cancer treatment. She bravely bared her soul and her freshly scarred chest before the camera and I felt like I was watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon. Testing its new wings and ready to re enter the world forever changed and more stunning than anyone could have ever imagined

As Meghan was shooting, she made comments about the photos looking like an oil painting. I couldn't imagine it, but when I saw this sneak peek photo, I was alone in my room and literally gasped aloud. Something about this image evokes this radical self love and acceptance in me, and also feels like it is beyond me I am looking at. A friend called the photo "goddess of new life" and in my own journaling about what I wanted to feel like during the shoot, I pictured a fairy godd...ess out in nature. My affirmation for the experience -- "Surrender and you will be free." Freedom found me under the tree, topless, bare foot and surrounded by brush in muted greenery. I didn't want to be in my head. I wanted to let what I felt guide my actions. Around the time this photo was taken, my attention instantly turned to the sounds of Mother Nature, I could hear crickets chirping, the croaks of maybe some frogs in the lake nearby, birds chattering, the water lapping and insects all around us buzzing. It was melodic -- a harmony that elevated that moment. Exactly what I imagine forest bathing to feel like. It washed over me. And as Meghan shot away, a prism refracting the bits of light left of the sun as it set, a goddess of new life emerged. @motherscope

Part 3 of addressing critics of my work. I’ve heard that I am posting nudes of myself and other women because I am insecure and I’m seeking external validation. I should only find that validation from God/Source/Higher Power. I love photographing nudes because of the vulnerability of nudity. There is nothing to hide behind. It forces you to confront all the masks your wear for love and approval. Then by observing them you can make the conscious choice to love yourself enough... to be seen in front of a lens. Shame cannot exist when it is exposed to the light. Exposing our nude bodies is an act of releasing debilitating shame. It is confronting the centuries of ancestral trauma we inherited from women hating their human form. Nude imagery makes you stop and evaluate your reaction. Are you offended by someone’s bare skin, body shape, gender, race? It’s an opportunity to go within, learn, and grow. If the images are sensual and nude then what is the issue? We are sexual beings, why can’t this be expressed in an artistic way? It’s rarely the men I hear from but women policing other women. I believe that those women who judge have been forced to reject their own sensuality to fit into a patriarchal system that won’t allow it. That is why they can not tolerate it in others. Let’s rewrite the narrative and use art to express all the amazing aspects of femininity including our nude bodies.

I’m continuing my series addressing my critics this week. Some have claimed my photos influence minors to be over sexualized and vulnerable to predators, increasing the risk of sexual assault or even sex trafficking. One common question is how would I feel if my teenage daughter saw these photos or posed for photos like mine? Like I’ve said before we must rewrite this narrative. My photos help adult women who struggle with self hatred LOVE themselves. This is freedom and he...aling. My daughter will grow up seeing her mother photograph countless women transforming their lives and guiding them to love and accept their bodies without shame. I believe we MUST educate the next generation of women through demonstration of taking back our power. We need to model to young girls how to be WHOLE, fully integrating their sensuality with the rest of their identity. It is not evil, it does not cause men to harm them, it does not make them whores. These were the messages I received growing up in purity culture. They were constructed for men to control us within a patriarchal structure where empowered women are disruptive to the system. The truth is women can be sexy AND pure. We can be sensual AND holy. When we choose to be fully embodied and integrate all these aspects of our identity then we are more powerful than we could imagine.

A few people have said that my photos of women are like soft porn and that they wouldn’t want their husbands or sons to see them. Part of this brand is about re-writing the narrative on women’s sexuality so I am going to address these criticisms. What my clients and I create is NOT in any way soft porn. It is artistic expression inspired by the female form. This is nothing new, if you go to most galleries in Europe or even look at ancient Egyptian art, women have been depicte...d nude by artists for all time. Porn is a male dominated industry that objectifies women’s bodies for people to consume for self pleasure. What I do has nothing to do with this industry. I am helping women connect to their sensuality and heal their self worth. It is for my clients, NOT for another person to watch and fantasize. It’s not women’s responsibility to control men’s temptation. Men need to take responsibility for their objectification of women’s bodies. My son knows that his mommy creates art and I am proud that he will grow up knowing what female empowerment looks like. Swipe left to see more nude art over the centuries: Slide 2: Manet in Musèe d’Orsey Paris Slide 3: Tomb-chapel scenes of Nebamun at the British Museum