Welcome to the most perfect imperfect in-home session there ever was. My artistic, film-loving heart skips a beat a little every time I view these images. I’m a sucker for some gritty black and white images in real-life scenarios, and this sweet morning motherhood session with Lauren and Virginia gave me plenty to gush over!

Some things can’t be fully translated through a screen—they must be experienced. This is how I felt when I met Lauren in person at her session. I’ve known Lauren through Instagram for a while now, but I could have never imagined how actually warm her presence truly is in person. She instantly felt like a sister, an advocate, a cheerleader in all the best ways.

We met at her adorable Virginia home early on a Thursday. Not only is her home filled with impeccable design (can you get over the wallpaper in Ginny’s nursery?! Me either!), it is also brimming with intention. I’m struggling to find the words to communicate exactly what I mean by that, but again, it’s just something that deserves an experience.

I will say—I knew we didn’t have the absolute best light we were hoping for. It was cloudy and rather dark, and I even reassured Lauren that if these images were totally unusable, we’d simply shoot again!

But alas, film came through once more. And sure, I lost a few frames to camera shake (shooting at 1/30th of a second is no joke) or underexposure due to lack of light, but I still count the majority of the frames as priceless. They are raw and undeniably real. I think Jesus knew this was my heart for this session, and maybe he sent a few clouds my way to help communicate that emotion in my work even more. He does, in fact, care about the littlest of things.

A Morning at Home was inspired by the everyday, stripped down to the simple interactions between mom and child we often overlook. I hope you feel these images as much as I do, and that they can inspire you to view your everyday in a more beautiful light, no matter how gritty it gets.

 

Xo, Michela

 

Gear: Pentax 645n, 75mm lens

Film: Portra 400 120, Ilford Delta 400 120

Processing: Photovision