ART MADE FOR HEALING
Some sessions start with a Pinterest board or a sunset golden hour plan. And then there are the ones that become something else entirely. Something more beautiful than anything you could have come up with on your own.
This was one of those sessions.
I'd been talking through some ideas with Janece about her maternity shoot for a little while. She'd been through five years of trying and several rounds of IVF. That’s the kind of struggle that reshapes a person and the weight of that made her want something more than just maternity photos. She wanted her photos to hold some artful representation of that story.
We hadn't nailed down a date yet when she texted me: Hey, how do you feel about shooting at the hospital?
My first thought: Is that where it all started, the fertilization?!?!
Turns out, sadly no. She had placenta previa. Her placenta was sitting on her cervix, causing intermittent bleeds. A few too many trips to the hospital after some big bleeds, her doctors wanted her to stay put. Luckily, not on strict bed rest, but not traveling anywhere either. She was basically going to be living out the rest of her pregnancy at Clemens Southwest Hospital until baby boy arrived. So she made the most logical decision she could: let's shoot here.
I looked the hospital up online before I went. And it was not what I was expecting, the location is BEAUTIFUL!! Art installations, sculptures, thoughtful design throughout. Another cool thing about this hospital is Clements is teaching hospital. EDUCATION + ART! It’s like this hospital was made for me to shoot in.
When I arrived, the nurses were incredibly kind and let us use an empty delivery room with great light and a really pretty view. We started there. I got some quiet, intimate shots with her and dad-to-be, and then she changed into this sheer draped white piece that was so fun to shoot. Soft and flowing and it looked STUNNING on her body.
Throughout the session she kept saying she wanted to cry. That she was just so happy they were finally here, finally about to have their baby after five years of trying. That joy and gratitude was all over her face the entire time. I encouraged her to let it all out! FEEL the JOY!!! even if it comes in tears.
After a few shots in the room, Janece changed into a cute summer light blue dress. We adventured out into the lobby and main hallways on the labor and delivery floor.
There was this really cool floating glass cloud installation in the hallway. A set of white square hanging panels, almost like a chandelier and I played around doing a double exposure and got a cool surrealism fractal look. It reminds me a little of my favorite Dali painting he did of his wife Gala.
We made our way down to a lower level where there were these incredible orange glass panels. I had her step behind them and let her silhouette come through the panes of color.
I love the philosophy behind why this hospital has so much art.
When I went down a rabbit hole researching about the hospital for this blog, is that the art there isn't decorative. It's intentional. According to UT Southwestern, every design decision at Clements was made with one principle in mind: do whatever is best for the patient. Studies show that art has a measurable positive effect on the patient experience and the healing process, and the hospital took that seriously, selecting landscape photos and familiar imagery specifically to soothe and restore during what is often a really stressful time. (source)
I also believe in the healing power of art.
Lastly we made it outside, around blue hour. There were these large cylindrical water features. Kinda reminded me of some sort of bio energy test tube. We wrapped up there with a few last shots.
Shout out to my BTS assistant and on-site scout for this photoshoot, Courtney! You are such a great friend!!!
What I keep coming back to is how free I felt the whole time. She and her husband were completely go-with-the-flow, game for whatever I wanted to try. And that's when I shoot my best work, when there's room to experiment, to pivot, to say wait, let me try something real quick.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A UNIQUE, MEANINGFUL MATERNITY, FRESH 48 PHOTOS IN DALLAS, RICHARDSON, FRISCO, OR THE SURROUNDING DFW AREAS, PLEASE REACH OUT.
I’D LOVE TO HELP TELL YOUR STORY IN A WAY THAT FEELS LIKE YOU.
LOCATION : WILLIAM P. CLEMENTS JR. UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
