It's always a little tricky writing about yourself, wondering what people would want to hear..... So, I am going to be real with you and just put it all out there.
I'm a mumma to one. My son, Travis came early and his birth literally almost killed me. These days, he fills my life with unbridled joy and a level of love that I never saw coming. My little man has changed my view of the world, the adoration and respect I have for my own mother and has set me on my career path as a family photographer. He also tests my patience and I can easily see he takes after his dad when he's just being a general pain in my ass.
Motherhood isn't easy. It's a 24/7 rollercoaster of intimacy and bonding to lonely days and really shitty moments. It's wondering how you ever lived your life without the family you've created to crying in a collapsed heap in your shower just praying for five minutes of peace.
I get that. I am unapolegetically that.
Motherhood has changed everything for me. My family , the bonds and small moments that I share with them that no one else will ever know about, is life. The way my son casually runs his hand over my chest while he is nursing. That little sounds he makes when he naps. That sudden reassurance I feel that everything is going to be okay when my partner kisses me on my forehead. The way they both wrap their arms around me. We save an extra little bit of love for each other that no one else will ever get from us.
I am obviously sentimental. Annoyingly and over the top sentimental and obsessed with catching myself in 'moments'. I am constantly aware that time is fleeting, they grow up too quick and we age at an alarming rate. Nothing stays the same for as long as it feels like it should. Years feel like seconds when we look back on them. Memories are quick to fade around the edges.
So, I am a touchy feely, moment hunting, light loving sentimentalist. Now we've got my lovey dovey covered - here's the technichal stuff about me.
I have made a career in the wool industry for the last 11 years as a woolclasser, alongside my partner Jas who is a shearer. My photography started in the woolsheds as a documentary of how cool my life was compared to all of my office drone friends working and living in Brisbane city - were I grew up. Drawing inspiration from my dad, who is a kick ass bird photographer and my mum, who is the queen of quilting and creativity, photography came easy to me. My roots and the fact that I have lived on a sheep property, have travelled for work for the last decade and never had the opportunity for an active social life, has been the greatest stepping stones for my career. I filled the social void with shooting, editing and building my photography business.
I am now 'that girl who photographs sheep' and travels full time with my family across Australia in our caravan chasing Jas's shearing work. I've been published in some pretty awesome places with my sheep and wool photography, but I have never done it for praise. It has always fed me creatively and allowed me to view the industry with a deeper appreciation for the story of wool, it's past and it's future. (You can check out my other life here - www.chantelrenaephotography.com)
My love affair with photography has spanned over the last decade and evolves with the different stages of my life. Stepping into motherhood has changed my professional direction, the things I appreciate most and what gives my photography meaning and inspiration. It's a game changer.
If I had to sum up my family photography in three words, it would be - honest, connection and touch. I shoot what I feel, not what family 'should' look like, but the gentle bonds that tie a family together.
Family life is imperfect. A beautiful, chaotic mess that we create, cherish and live for.
