A Story To Share

Remember my photo shoot from last month?  The woman, Rebecca Fuhs Gotzon, who did them, also has joined a Writing Group.  Each week they get a prompt and they have to use that to write a piece.  The week of our shoot, her prompt was "nature."  As she put it to me, "I don't hike."  So...our photo shoot became the inspiration for her story.  I am highly flattered, and she gave me permission to post it here.  Again, if you are in the Lehigh Valley and are looking for someone to shoot you, your children, etc, find her on Facebook and give her a shout! 

Without further ado, I give you her story.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


A Natural Curve


She stood naked in front of me. An honest naked. Not a sensual naked, not an exposed naked. Just naked—the way she was when she came into this world.

Her pregnant belly protruded from her body adding a natural and healthy girth to her waistline. I adjusted the lighting as she stood waiting to model.

She was a stranger not 30 minutes before, but the fact that she was intrusting me with this intimate and poetic photography shoot made her an instant friend.

Given that she had spent the last months on bed rest she was weak, and unable to stand for long periods of time. Without fail every twenty minutes she excused herself, as her future daughter sat on her bladder forcing her to take these numerous breaks.

The woman had always been thin, “a twig” in her own words. The added weight of a growing human was an adjustment that she was not too fond of. “On the plus side, I finally have boobs!” She laughs, in a lighthearted moment.

We had previously discussed her preferences when it comes to maternity photography. She wanted it to be intimate, with a flair for the dramatic. She tells me that she enjoys the stark visual contrast of backlighting on a rounded stomach. She doesn’t want to document the event, but illustrate it. She is not looking to glamorize pregnancy, with all it’s uncomfortable and inevitable annoyances, but rather capture the intrigue of change.

She stood before me naked, as we captured the natural beauty of life. It was honest. It was kind. Art takes many forms, and I envisioned her body as an evolving canvas.

Twenty minutes passed, time for another break. Afterwards she sat at my kitchen table, waiting for her strength to return. She is unsure if the person growing inside her is male or female, but chooses to “her” as a pronoun in place of “it.”

“One moment, she’s kicking me.” I patiently wait. For that is the natural order of life, that we make amends for the process of giving breath. Inside of her “she” is growing, and processing, and developing. It is natural. It is beautiful.

“Alright, she settled down.” Once again I adjust my lighting. The honesty of nature never ceasing to amaze me.