M and L are good friends of my sister and Tania. M & L are gay. Let's get all this out of the way before we move on. They've been together for about 9 years and are in the final stages of awaiting their first child.
I had the privilege and honour of being able to photograph them, in all their resplendent pregnant beauty this weekend. M is 34 weeks pregnant and L is 34 weeks patiently waiting......
I love babies and, so consequently, love the anticipatory beauty of a pregnant woman. So, this weekend, we all congregated at Karen and Tania's house to capture this beautiful period of awaiting Ethan (they're having a boy and have named him Ethan).
Let me say that what I experienced was far more than I expected to. M & L are no strangers to me. At first, we took photos of them together and I discovered, quite by accident, that M has a tattoo down the right side of her body that is stunningly gorgeous. Now, I'm not a huge fan of the tattoo but this one is just so beautiful and tasteful that I couldn't help but be charmed by it. I wanted to photograph it's snaking character of her body and, one thing led to another - whispers to L that "the top has to come off" followed by further whispers of "the undies, the undies just take away from her beauty.." I was very fortunate that L could see where I was coming from and that I was not just an oddball pervert photographer. She was on the same page as me so, with L's encouragement, we had touchdown!
I cannot tell you how absolutely beautiful this pregnant woman is. I've had two children myself so seeing a woman's belly full of child is no surprise to me. However, M's body was just glowing - it was magical and I was drawn into another world by just taking her photos. She was such a trooper, too. I could see that, after two hours, she was getting tired but I just couldn't get enough, and she soldiered on with a cackle and a smile.
Funniest thing was, after shutting down the house and rearranging the furniture to get the best light etc, the unexpected and sudden arrival of Tania's eldest son, who is 19. HAAAA! Imagine coming home to find that your home has been turned into, what appears to be, a photographic pregnancy porn site. He didn't blink an eye, politely greeted everyone and walked past a very naked M to the other side of the house. Not one question! M took it like the trooper that she is....
So, after that interruption, we moved on. Time moves on, clicks of the shutter furiously punctuate the air and.........Tania's youngest son, who's about 16, also arrives home, unexpectedly! AAAARGH!! Now his eyebrows raise but he, too, quietly greets everyone with politeness. The giveaway was the flashing dimple that said more than he thought it did. The dimples said "Hello now.....what's this in my living room?? Cameras, nude women and....God I love my unconventional family!"
He, too, moves to his room like this is an everyday occurrence which has me briefly, albeit silently, questionning my sister's day-to-day lifestyle. But, we move on....
Until Jules pops in, yep, you guessed it - unexpectedly! You couldn't script this any better and M still sat there, highly amused at the unexpected traffic of people having clandestine peeps at her very pregnant body. Jules realises what's going on and, I suspect out of respect for the extremely nude mummy-to-be, makes a hasty exit. God bless you Jules, if you're reading this.....
Now, let me tell you that once M was clothed, her aura took an entirely different glow and, sitting outside under the pergola talking to L, while M got dressed, I was suddenly moved to tears. I felt like I'd just seen the Virgin Mary (go with me on this) but it suddenly hit me how absolutely privileged an experience I just had. It's not everyday that a pregnant woman will let you into her inner sanctum and witness those little intimate moments between her and her partner, while they wait for the birth of their child. She might let you photograph her, sure, but two hours and a magnificent dinner by Tania down the track, you get to feel like you've been invited some place that not many people get invited to be.
M & L, I don't know if you'll read this. I hope you do. I have photographed quite a lot of people and every one of those is singularly special. Each had it's moments of revelation and wonderment and I always - ALWAYS - walk away from a personal shoot feeling full in my heart.
But your shoot yesterday? I came away bursting at the seams with happiness. I witnessed a rare kind of beauty upfront and personal and, although I'm rarely lost for words, I seem to be struggling to find the adequate ways to communicate how beautiful you both are. Not just as a couple but as parents-to-be.
