For this Mother’s Day, the focus is turned to those who live the story themselves. In this article, we spotlight the stories of mothers: their worlds, their experiences and the ways motherhood shapes their photography.

Their work offers a rare, multifaceted perspective on motherhood, one shaped not just by observation, but by experience. From intimate portraits to documentary-style glimpses of daily life, these stories reflect the unique tension, tenderness, and truth of being both artist and mother.

Today, we feature the stories and work of 11 talented mothers behind the camera, from the Cherrydeck community:

Johanna Berghorn

This project is a raw and intimate tribute to the women in my life — my grandmother, my mother, myself, and now my child. I also photographed a close friend in the final weeks of pregnancy, standing at the threshold of creation.

Each of these women carries her own story of resilience, sacrifice, and love. Through my lens, I wanted to honor not just the beauty of these women, but the depth of their lives and the emotional labor that often goes unseen.

Motherhood, for me, is not a role — it’s a lineage, a legacy, a quiet power passed down through gestures, glances, and unspoken strength.

As a mother and a photographer, I constantly navigate the tension between creating and caregiving. This series is both my way of holding onto moments that pass too quickly and reclaiming space for mothers — not as an ideal, but as full, complex, powerful human beings.

In photographing them, and myself, I began to explore matrescence: the physical, emotional, and psychological transformation into motherhood. It is an unfolding that’s raw and sensual, often invisible, yet profoundly creative. Motherhood brought me closer to nature, to the act of creation itself — not just in giving life, but in shaping identity, space, and meaning.

Through the lens, I began to see that all of it: the body, the earth, the cycle, is one. Motherhood is not separate from the world — it is the world. It is the pulse of Mother Earth, the origin of everything living, the first home we all return to. Creation, connection, and care: it’s all one story. And this is my part in it.

Johanna Berghorn is a Berlin-based photographer. Her work ranges from fashion to political activism and multi-media artworks, revolving around contemporary topics and culturally charged narratives, while remaining closely linked to her visual perception. Her personal work has expanded her focus on depictions of people of all backgrounds and how they internalize the external pressure of social roles.

Nicolle Nesbitt

I’m the face behind Wild Cactus Photographer — but before that, I’m a mom, a wife, and a woman who’s constantly balancing motherhood, creativity, and running a business from the heart.

Photography has always been my way of holding on to what matters most. As a full-time mom, I live in the chaos and the beauty of the everyday — and I know how quickly these little moments slip away. That’s what drives me to document not just smiles, but connection. Not just milestones, but moments.

Through Wild Cactus Photographer, I aim to freeze time for other families the way I do for my own. My daughters are often my muses — sometimes my assistants — and always my “why.” The camera helps me slow down and soak in the magic of messy mornings, warm hugs, and unexpected joy.

This series is a blend of personal and professional — it’s my life and my lens in harmony. Motherhood has changed not just how I shoot, but why I shoot. I’m proud to share this glimpse into my world as a mother behind the camera, celebrating the wild, imperfect, beautiful rhythm of family life.

Nicolle Nesbitt is a a People & Lifestyle , Editorial & Documentary Photographer currently based in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Karina Lax – The First Day

The First Day was realised as a photo book and exhibition, and looked at 30 primary age school starters, including my son, dressed for their first day at school in Sheffield, UK.

As a mother about to let go of her first child into the school world, I recognised the taking and sharing of the first day of school photographs as a new custom or social practice to many parents/ carers. This photographic activity forms a major milestone for the adults more than the children.

I wished to create a less fleeting record of this social phenomenon, as I recognised this as emblematic of the first formal step into social conditioning. As the children playfully hid behind toys, play school kid ‘dress up’ and swung from door handles, the parents and carers have to allow them to slip down the apron strings.

Karina Lax is an award-winning photographer based in Sheffield, UK. She is a people person with infectious enthusiasm, creative vision and a natural ability to communicate clearly, with an aesthetic and conceptual approach, and an in-depth understanding of the image in design, PR, advertising, and marketing.

Masha Kushnir

As a mother of twins, I started seeing beauty in such things as dirty plates, dusty windows, melted wax. I got an opportunity to step out of my regular role and capture the moments that helped me to better understand my motherhood as well as to reconsider my own childhood.

The camera taught me to mildly switch focus to poetry of the fleeting moments, to unnoticeable details that replenished holes in my own childhood, and to the light that warmed me from inside out.

Masha Kushnir is an independent fine art and portrait photographer based in Berlin. She is known for her intimate and evocative portraits. In her personal work, she seeks to make women more visible, capturing their presence in a way that feels both tender and profound.

Rosina Jimenez

Photography has been a quiet but powerful companion in my journey through motherhood. The act of observing and capturing life as it unfolds helps me stay present, especially in the midst of the beautiful chaos that comes with raising children. Through my lens, I find meaning in the everyday—the little gestures, the fleeting expressions, the ordinary moments that are, in truth, everything.

Being a mother behind the camera has taught me to see more deeply and to appreciate the subtle poetry of daily life. It’s in those small, unscripted moments that I find the essence of motherhood.

Photography reminds me that this — this love, this mess, this magic — is life. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my story and work through this series.

Rosina Jimenez is a photographer passionate about creation and life itself. Although specialised in wedding and family videography & photography, she also works for international brands in order to humanize their advertising approach – creating meaningful, emotional and inspirational content.

Tatsiana Chypsanava – In My Shoes

‘In my shoes’ is a documentary photography project about my 17-year-old daughter Lola and me. It’s a story of change, growing up, and the connection between generations. I’m capturing our last year together before Lola leaves for university.

These photographs are about her growing up and me growing older. They’re about daughters distancing themselves from their mothers, and the midlife crisis mothers face when their children grow up. This project explores the challenges of single motherhood and how I raised a wonderful daughter on my own. It shows how Lola spends time with her friends and how important they are in her life.

The title “In my shoes” comes from Lola wearing my shoes, clothes, and jewelry. She also wears a ruby ring from my mother, who was also named Lola. She died when I was 10. I never had adult conversations with my mom, which makes talking with my own growing daughter so precious.

This project is about the similarities between my mother, myself, and Lola. It’s about hope – hope that the limitations immigration brought to my life will make my daughter’s life better than mine or my mother’s.

It’s also a story about immigration and how cultural boundaries blur, especially in terms of gender relations. In New Zealand, there’s no discrimination against single-parent families. I know I’ll look at these photos when Lola leaves, immersing myself in memories of our life together. This project is for my daughter and for me. It’s a way to remember, feel, and understand this important stage of our lives.

Tatsiana Chypsanava is a documentary photographer based in New Zealand. Born in Belarus and a descendant of the Komi peoples of the Siberian North West Ural, she is a member of Diversify Photo and Women Photograph, both groups that champion diversity in the industry. Her work focuses on Indigenous rights, migration, and environmental issues.

Aga Dubik

It’s not a story – more a flicker of moments. The warmth of skin. Breath, close. Somewhere between sleep and light. I move between being a mother, a daughter, a witness – and the one who disappears behind the lens. I hold on to the delicate. Not to explain. But to feel.

Aga Dubik is a freelance visual artist based in England, operating in England and Europe. She views photography as a unique form of art, a way to tell stories without words.

Hannah Bailey

Navigating the bustling streets of Paris during the Olympics with my one-year-old daughter strapped to my chest was a statement in itself. I traveled to Paris to document the persistent gender imbalance behind the lens. While the Games celebrated their first gender-equal Olympics for athletes in 2024, I was struck by how the photography pit still reflected a stark reality — only about one in five accredited photographers were women.

My daughter’s presence became both my purpose and my proof: here was the next generation watching us women challenge norms in real-time. Between skateboarding and naps, I connected with fellow female photographers who shared similar stories of determination. These quiet moments of motherhood amid the Olympic chaos weren’t interruptions to my work but rather fuel for it—reminding me why representation matters so deeply.

As I continue my journey documenting underrepresented voices in sports, my daughter’s curious eyes have become even more of a drive. My work continues to have an aim: to keep challenging stereotypes through my lens, creating a visual legacy where she—and all girls and children—can see positive possibilities for who they might become.

Hannah Bailey is a passionate award-winning portrait and editorial photographer who has been immersed in the underground scenes of action sports, adventure and the outdoors for over 10 years. It is the free-spirited players and heroic characters that Hannah feels most passionate about, particularly those that are girls or women.

Kim Steinberg

Motherhood is an epic, ever-evolving story. It’s about the fierce, sleepless nights, the quiet moments of connection, the laughter that echoes through the chaos, and the fierce love that holds it all together.

Through my lens, I aim to capture these authentic, often fleeting moments – the messy hair, the quiet snuggles, the unfiltered love. As a mother myself, I know how quickly these chapters pass, and I want to help other mothers hold onto them.

My goal is to create images that capture the strength, vulnerability, and beauty of motherhood in all its forms – from the early, overwhelming days to the deeply rooted connections that shape our lives forever.

I hope to honor the incredible journey of motherhood and the women who live it every day, celebrating the raw, unfiltered moments that truly matter.

Kim Steinberg is a photographer currently based in Ballito, South Africa, but available worldwide. Her journey into photography began with a simple yet profound desire: to freeze beautiful moments in time & allowing people to hold onto those precious memories forever. She specializes in families, couples, & maternity photography.

Carina Pires

I’m a family photographer and mother of a girl, a boy and almost of our dog, who makes our days much happier!

Everyday moments, unprepared and spontaneous, ephemeral and apparently insignificant details, gain tremendous importance as the days and years pass, in family history. Memory does not have the capacity to store them all, but photography allows us to remember them and take emotional and wonderful journeys!

It is this photograph of reality, of real life, without poses, that moves me and makes me fall in love with it. Observing and photographing is what I like to do most!

Carina Pires is a Editorial & Documentary, People & Lifestyle photographer based in Lisbon, Portugal. She describes herself as a “Family photographer of everyday life and real emotions”.

Alina Gross

This project challenges the mainstream euphoria around baby cuteness and reveals the postpartum realities we faced. Each birth is also the birth of a mother.

Inspired by our own ambivalent emotions—melancholy to euphoria—we (photographer Alina Gross and sociologist Olga Galanova) used photography as self-reflection and therapy. Lindbergh’s idea that creativity comes from experience guided us.

Our three-stage method involved capturing emotional moments, experimenting with genres, and reworking prints through creative expression. The result of our fruitful work was this sequence of images.

Some pictures depict a romantic mother-child relationship, physical closeness and intimacy, while others show pain, self-dissolution, isolation, and excessive demands. We also captured special scents (such as the smell of sulfur and papaya) and compositions, experimenting with various genres including documentary, portraiture, staged photography, still life and installation. We attempted to convey feelings of ambiguity, disruption, and inner conflict through creatively tearing the printed images. We experimented with metaphors and hyperbole.

We found that exaggerating our feelings through art deepened our understanding. Highlighting the ‘victim’ role of the mother helped free us from it. Though initially ashamed of our baby blues, visualizing new sensory experiences led to our rebirth as mothers.

In undertaking the work on this project, we had a very hard journey as we struggled with the truth of our postpartum emotions. This brought us some uncertainty in our role as mothers. In the daily exploration of our new social role and the changes in our personalities through the visualization of our associations with newly discovered smells, sounds, shapes, and colors, we were able to overcome all our ambiguities and hesitations, leading to our rebirth as mothers.

This work of art became something more than a kind of self-acceptance and self-birth as mothers. On the one hand, the project revealed that our society prefers to see the maternal role through a beautiful façade and in this way supports a female victimization.

On the other hand, our examination of the aesthetics of the raw manifestations of life after birth strengthened our critical attitude towards the contemporary, superficial, and idealized image of motherhood imposed by mass culture and consumption, and enhanced our understanding of the role of motherhood behind the beautiful façade.

The project critiques the idealized image of motherhood and reveals the reality behind its beautiful façade.

Alina Gross is a visual artist and art director currently based in Bochum, Germany. Her work is shown in solo and group exhibitions, and featured in multiple publications.

These stories offer us a powerful glimpse into the lives of mothers who are shaping the world through their photography. We hope these inspiring photographers encourage you to look beyond the surface and see the depth in experiences that define motherhood.

If you’re looking to discover more talented mothers and their captivating work, be sure to explore Cherrydeck. Interested in other projects capturing motherhood? Read more on the Cherrydeck Blog.

Posted by:Cherrydeck Editorial

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