In this curated selection, 14 photography series explore the intimate, unfiltered, and sometimes unexpected sides of being a mother.
Captured by talented creators in the Cherrydeck community, they put motherhood in focus and explore its many layers. These photography series move beyond clichés, revealing strength, softness, resilience, and love in their rawest forms.
Read all about them below!
Isabell Kessler – Mommy, where do we come from?
This series does not seek answers but captures emotions – what remains when ideals fade. It reveals what is often hidden, conveys intimacy and closeness, and challenges expectations of the female body. At its core is a shared experience where truth and beauty become one.
The women open up, embracing both vulnerability and strength. They took part in shaping their portrayal, emancipated and free. Here, the female body is not just observed – it tells its own story.
Pregnancy can be an unexpected shift in perspective — a time when the lines between who you were and who you’re becoming blur. It’s not just about creating life, but about confronting how the world sees you and how you see yourself.
The changes go beyond the physical; there’s a quiet but profound transformation in how you relate to autonomy, power, and vulnerability. In a social context where bodies are often politicized, pregnancy becomes a deeply personal dialogue with those forces, challenging assumptions and creating space for a new sense of self to emerge, on your own terms.
Giuseppe Scianna – Dreams from the War
‘Dreams from the War’ documents the transformation of Ukrainian refugee mothers, forced to redefine their personal and social identities due to the war.
Their revolution is silent but profound: mothers, wives, and daughters who, torn from their homeland, become breadwinners, tireless workers, and pillars of a culture pushed into exile. The project explores their process of adaptation within a new society, very different from their own.
Portrayed through their daily gestures — caring for their children, searching for work, learning a new language — the images reflect an extraordinary resilience, capable of transforming the trauma of loss into generative strength.
This metamorphosis is not only individual but deeply collective: it concerns an entire generation of women and mothers who, although they fled as refugees, have become architects of a new existence, redefining the very concepts of home, community, and belonging. Thus, despite its brutality, war becomes the context where new forms of female solidarity and new emotional and social maps emerge.
Camila Berrio
I am a documentary photographer who has chosen not to become a mother, yet I find profound beauty in capturing motherhood. During my travels, often solitary and complex. I have found comfort and tenderness in the presence of women who are mothers, who care for others.
It’s as if that maternal instinct extends to protect those of us wandering the world: they offer food, a warm embrace, a kind gaze, always with gentleness and grace.
Photographing them is a way of honoring the strength that resides in every woman, whether we choose motherhood or not.
There is something in us that is soft, yet brave, and immensely powerful. I will continue seeking and portraying the women who move me deeply, because that is what it truly is: a deep admiration for those who become unafraid to give, to guide, to share every part of themselves.
To all mothers: Thank you for making us more humble.
Nitin Sachania
The inception of the project came about after speaking with my wife, who told me how she used to feel breastfeeding in public and was always anxious doing it because of what people would say and how they would act.
After doing research, I came to find that breastfeeding was at an all-time low in the UK, and especially women of color were less likely to feed in public. This is most likely due to culture and being afraid of what people (particularly family members) would say.
My goals for this project are to show what mothers were going through, to encourage women of color to breastfeed in public without feeling ashamed, and to show that there should be no anxiety when it comes to openly breastfeeding in public.
Hani Dresner
This photo series captures my mum and dad, Wendy and Martin, two weeks before and two months after my mum’s double mastectomy, during her second round of breast cancer.
Initially, we took the photos to document her changing body – a gesture of solidarity and agency, especially meaningful given her past as a lingerie model. But looking back, the images became much more than documentation.
As her daughter, witnessing her approach this life-altering moment with strength, humour, and grace deeply shaped my own relationship with my body, my sexuality, and how I meet personal challenges. One thing she said has stayed with me: “It’s not about your body, it’s about what’s happening in your brain that determines how you cope.”
Through this project, I came to understand just how much resilience she taught me, just through the way she lives her life. These photos are a testament to that quiet, powerful legacy. These photos also led to unexpected and empowering experiences for her. Together, we launched a mastectomy lingerie tailoring project; she became the face of a national cancer research campaign; and most boldly, she was scouted for a Jan Van Dyck film where she chose to bare her scars on screen. What began as a private act of documentation became a catalyst for visibility – but above all, it deepened our connection as mother and daughter, and as women.
Thalia Gomez
I just want to start by saying I’m not a mother, I’m a 31 years old photographer who has found an enigma around her mother. The person I used to admire and look up to as a child has become a total mystery as I’ve grown leaving a lot of questions on what roles do we play now. Sometimes it feels more like I’m the mother, the one that takes care of her and worries about her decision, but it can’t be true.
With time, I’ve also grown to realize she is just a woman and a human being that I haven’t actually met, because I’ve been focused on trying to find what I needed her to be. I took these pictures of her with a 35mm film on a day we spent talking for hours.
Anastasiia Nasyko
This photo project captures the tender, unspoken bond between mother and daughter — a connection rooted in unconditional love, quiet strength, and deep emotional presence.
Through soft light and intimate moments, it celebrates the beauty of maternal closeness and the timeless comfort of being held by someone who knows you completely. A tribute to the heart of motherhood.
Teresa Laqua – It Tastes Like Love
This ongoing photo series began in 2021 as part of the ‘It Tastes Like Love’ campaign. Using the language of fashion and lifestyle photography, it aimed to normalise breastfeeding and reclaim space for mothers.
It’s built as a kind of typology: the same subject/mother, photographed over and over, in different places & moments. From Hong Kong’s streets to their bedroom & quiet corners at home, the series shows how breastfeeding exists everywhere — sometimes confidently, sometimes tenderly, but always beautifully.
By blending an editorial vibe with documentary honesty, the project challenges old narratives and brings visibility to something that should never have to hide. Each photo is a soft act of protest — a reminder that this part of motherhood deserves to be seen & celebrated.
‘It Tastes Like Love’ is for all the mothers feeding their babies in public and in private, doing their thing with strength, softness, and no apologies.
Dana Nammari
A project that explores the complex relationship between a mother and her son who has schizoaffective disorder. His condition has led to a heavy dependence on his mother physically and emotionally, which inevitably becomes overwhelming at times. The series explores the constant push and pull in this relationship and the difficulties of motherhood not always shown or talked about.
Yanina Demkovych
Motherhood is not always something light, positive, or beautiful. It’s an emotional rollercoaster—difficulties, tantrums, sleepless nights, and nerves. However, there are moments that outweigh all the struggles: the joyful eyes of your child, hugs, and the words, “Mom, I love you.”
This is a story of maternal love, unconditional and strong. It’s about how, despite the challenges, mothers find the strength for their children. They stand alone when their husbands are called to defend their country, take their little ones on faraway journeys to show them this beautiful world.
This is a story of those quiet, yet priceless moments when love for a child becomes the strongest support, and every new day brings hope and joy, even when the world around seems difficult.
Ana Torres
This series is an ode to the primal connection between motherhood and nature: timeless, raw, and sacred. I photographed this mother among the leaves, not as a separate being, but as part of the landscape, as if the earth itself is bearing life through her.
Motherhood is creation. It is vulnerability wrapped in strength. It is both wild and sacred. And these images celebrate the beauty of exactly that, of becoming a mother – naked, not just in body, but in power and presence.
This is not just about pregnancy – it’s about remembering where we all come from.
Alona Kulyzka – Mother 24/7
Motherhood is not just a role — it’s a continuous rhythm of life that begins long before a child is born. It’s a journey that starts with anticipation, as a heart beats in sync with new life, and continues through everyday care, hugs, laughter, exhaustion, and the endless sound of “mom.”
This photo project is an attempt to capture the raw and real moments that often go unseen: the bond between a mother and her child, the ordinary days, the joy in simple things, the growth, the search for identity, and the deep, unconditional love.
Being a mother is a 24/7 experience. No breaks, no days off. It’s strength and tenderness, fatigue and inspiration. It’s a role that transforms everything. These images are about the honesty and truth of motherhood. They remind us that every moment matters.
Iris Muñoz
I am a maternity photographer, and I always try to empower women in this process or stage that is so important to feel empowered. I love capturing different types of women and ways of mothering through photography.
Arianne Thrall
This is a mix of friendship, support group, and sorority. The privilege of witnessing my dearest friend being a mother of 3, and being able to capture those moments.
We hope you loved these projects as much as we did.
For more Mother’s Day-related content, check out our article “Photography Stories from Mothers Behind the Camera” and more on the Cherrydeck Blog.
Looking for photographers to capture your Mother’s Day photoshoot or campaign? Explore Cherrydeck services.
