Motherhood Mondays
It’s here. It’s finally here!
I can finally share a little project I’ve been working on. It’s called Motherhood Mondays. You’ll want to keep an eye out if you follow me on social media because when I mention it, that means something really amazing for you, mamas.
But before I get too ahead of myself, I should share what it is, why I’m doing it, and all the things about it.
It was born from a little dream I had a while back and now that it’s Mother’s Day, a day that feels right on point to share this new series, here I am.
What are Motherhood Mondays?
It’s a series of Motherhood Sessions that I will be gifting to you, mamas.
On the first Monday of every month for the next six months, I will be opening the doors to all you mamas to send in a short little something about your motherhood experience (see below for specifics). On the Friday of that week, I will be selecting a mama who will win a session with me that month.
To keep everything clear and easy to organize, all of the session dates are pre-planned so in submitting your entry, you already know that the date, time, and place all work for you. It’s as easy as 1,2…see you there!
Why am I gifting 6 separate sessions in the middle of a very busy couple of months?
One of my biggest beliefs is to never be too busy for the things that matter. There is nothing that stings more than being someone’s focus only because they have time. When something matters, it matters…and honouring the motherhood experience matters to me. Photography is a magical little thing that I love and I think it plays such an important part in sharing our legacies and stories, but I often find that mothers are not in enough photos. Our babes need to see us and see us with them, and have those memories to keep with them in the future.
Another reason is that photo sessions are not always accessible to everyone for a multitude of reasons. I want it to be possible for those who would appreciate and value this session but otherwise cannot arrange it on their own, so that they have the opportunity for this really lovely collection of images.
Who are these mamas?
They are you, they are your friend, they are your sister, they are your mother, your neighbour, your co-worker.
They are almost mamas, new mamas and mamas for years and years.
They are strong, vulnerable women who want to share their story and want to capture the emotional connection they feel with their babes.
Where will it be?
I’m working with a series of studios in Toronto where the sessions will take place. Each session will be a new spot and there might even be some outdoor locations.
When is it?
August 1st - announcement | doors open
August 5th - winner will be contacted
August 15th - morning photo session at tba location
September 5th - announcement | doors open
September 9th - winner will be contacted
September 26th- morning photo session at tba location
October 3rd - announcement | doors open
October 7th - winner will be contacted
October 31th - morning photo session at tba location
** The studios will be announced on the announcement date for that month’s session. And while I hold 9am-12pm open on the day of the shoot, we are only together for roughly 1.5hrs. We will pick the time based on nap times so as to not have a cranky babe during our session. The ideal times are on the hour at 9am, 10am or 11am. But if there are no babes and we are photographing your pregnancy, then the time will be a starting point of 10am.
How can I scoop up a session?
On announcement day, I will pop on IG on both @scarletoneill and @motherhood_journals to announce the session being open for those to submit their entries and they will have until Thursday at midnight to submit at hi@scarletoneill.com
What does the submission entail?
All submissions must be over email and they can be either:
A) a short written blurb about what makes your motherhood story one to share or what is so special about motherhood to you along with a selfie of you and your babes (or you and the belly)
B) a video (set up or selfie mode) about what makes your motherhood story one to share or what is so special about motherhood to you
Then what happens?
Once the winner is contacted, all the detail will be shared via email and then we meet at the session.
How does our time together look?
We will have communicated over email beforehand to arrange any details and questions you might have. We will plan what you’ll wear and then we will see each other at the session. You’ll arrive and we will start by chatting and getting comfortable together and within the space.
Following that, for about an hour or so, we will capture your motherhood experience. We will play. We will document your moment in time. We will create a series of images that come from my heart and in a way that I’ve yet to create. They will be experimental, emotional, artistic, weird, authentic, raw…. all of it.
What else should I know?
This series is special to me because since becoming a mother myself, a lot of change has come into my life, and that change has affected my work in a multitude of ways. One such way has been in how I create images and so this series is a collaboration of sorts where we open up and inspire each other to create something a little unlike anything else you’ve seen from me before. Another important part to mention is that you should be comfortable in front of the camera and all sessions with be shared; these are not private sessions. The point of this project is to share the motherhood experience—perhaps the untold story—and to honour motherhood in a tribute thru imagery.
Lastly….
I am so excited for this series and just want to thank you for taking the time to read this. Maybe I’ll see you pop into the submissions. All my love. X
