Posted on July 27, 2016

into the depths
a wild woman project
What does it mean to stand there at the brink of the chasm, the very edge of our own shame, our terrifying personal stories of pain, neglect, abuse, loneliness? We don’t go there, do we? or only very reluctantly. We have been cast out of our land of knowing, taught to become afraid of our wild intuition, our deep connection!
Let us reacquaint ourselves then with this perceived underbelly, what is dark, murky, unknown, it has been cast for far too long as dirty, evil, something to be tamed and held back. What is this mystery that smacks of female depths? It is all that is fertile, fertile within it’s cycles of rise and fall, struggle and emerge. It unequivocally vulnerable, shivering at the edge of the lake under the full moon. It is wildly intuitive. It is simultaneously gentle, wide-eyed with wander and fierce and bold with protection!
Each wild wander, either through forest, into the river, down by the sea or up into arid climbs takes us step by step in to an inner tracking, and encounter with a forgotten, lost or hurt part of ourselves.
Beautiful S. here stands still for a long moment of encounter with herself and the river, deep, dark, so cold, yet welcoming, cleansing. I love her tender entry into her own intimate process, tentative at first, and then plunging down to reemerge with a shout of joy on the other side
It seems so much is of what is unnecessary, hindering, dampening of desire and creative potential is discard by this plunge into the river of trust. And, so much is gained, an immersive thrill that invigorates the body knowing, the belonging, the should connection to a source. Unfettered from domestic conditions of thou shalt not, wear this, wear that, hide your shame, cover up your scars or breasts woman! do not dare defend your cubs or wail with sadness or shudder with pleasure, woman! Unfettered, a wild woman, howling like a wolf scampers up the far side of the river into the thick Cedar at its edge.
I am honoured to be growing through my wild woman project in the presence and trust of some incredible women, who grace me with their vulnerable beauty, their undressing and casting off of outdated shrouds, for some easier than for others, each opening and vulnerable, bold and wild in their own way. I am grateful to witness their desire to rewild their connection to their own bodies, and to the land body of our Mother, and in so doing become part of this process myself.
with a wild heart full of love,
Belinda
#rewildingphotography #awildwomanproject #wildhealing #wildwander #abeautifulbodyproject #intothedepths #wildedge
Posted on April 9, 2016
Spring Mini Photo Play Sessions
Yay, I’ve had the chance to witness and capture some sweet Spring Portraits.
Spring is such fantastic time for family photos with Mama nature’s burst into life, warm sun, fresh breezes, and excited return to outdoor play after Vancouver’s grey rainy Winter. I’m grateful for all the lovely families, large and small, each one unique, that I get to meet and photograph. The fast, fun pace, tied in with the invitation to play, run, jump, brings us all together and at ease and offers some pretty delightful images. My aim is to capture you and your family at ease, having fun, naturally close, and engaged with each other in a way that is more natural rather than posed. I hope you like what you see. If you are interested in capturing some lovely memories like these, contact me at http://www.facebook.com/applestarphoto
What makes a great candid family portrait? I feel that its more than just a nice picture of the whole family, with everyone smiling and looking their best. Who are you as a family? How to you connect to each other? How do you who love? What if one of you feels awkward in front of the camera? Or what about if you have many family members, or your child is shy or won’t sit still?
I feel that a good family photo session allows for the family to express itself naturally. In short 15 to 20 minute sessions how can that happen? How can I capture a genuine sweetness and natural togetherness of a family small or large? For me space to explore is needed, a beautiful and inspiring setting, and freedom to move, especially for the little ones or shy pre teens to approach and gain trust or ease in a way that suits them. Play is important, using your body, moving away from your family, doing your own thing, regathering to hug, play, joke around. I sometimes try to explain that I’m like a wildlife photographer who specializes in the human animal, with a special fondness for children and youth. I have worked with children as a nanny and tutor as well for over 20 years. I have learned from both research and many hours with kids and families that we all thrive when we’re having fun, whether thats learning, trying something new, or getting over some fears, shyness or hurdles. Photo Play Sessions are all about this! Working with children over the years, one of the things I have loved most is watching them shine, watching their eyes sparkle as they come alive engaged in something they love, watching them gain trust as the adults in their life really listen, really show interest in what they care about….all this has added to my photographic style. I hope you like it.
What happens after play is a more relaxed pose, where, hopefully each member of the family can really sit comfortably with who she or he is, and the family bonds show up naturally. Everyone feels good, and therefore looks good too. Beautiful, natural, candid shots, as well as some sweet stolen treasures!
#applestarphoto #springmini photoplaysession #play #candidphotography #shiningfromtheinsideout
Posted on March 28, 2016
Announcing:
Spring Mini Photo Play Sessions
This is what I love to do.
Celebrate Spring!
I do mini sessions as a way of offering accessible, affordable, gorgeous, pro family portraiture to all. No one turned away fro lack of funds. :)
$20 for a 10-15 minute mini session and 2 pro-edited digital images from 8-10 or
$35 for 5 pro-edited digital images from 12-20.
Contact me at http://www.facebook.com/applestarphoto, or call 604 441 6913 to get details on the next Mini Sessions, bring three other families or groups, and get yours FREE!
Ask about arranging another Mini Session in a location of your choice. Warmly, Belinda White, Apple Star Photo, Shining from the Inside Out!
#Springminiphotoplaysession #Springminis #Naturalphotography #Familyphotography #Funphotography #Applestarphoto
Posted on March 27, 2016
forage
At first I wanted to call this ‘food porn’, but then I had to pause, why ‘porn’? What is it about my / our relationship to sensuality that causes me / us to debase this incredible fruit of the sea? Why not honour and celebrate this luscious, miraculous, delicate and delicious gift from our Mother Earth, or Mother Sea instead? And so here she is, hand-picked and photographed by me, Belinda White of Apple Star Photo and steamed, shucked and presented by Andria Green of Real Good Food, an oyster naked and glowing for all to see. This is where Rewilding revives and reconnects our intimate entwinement and sensual bond with the our giving Earth, our nurturing Mother. Rewilding excites us, invites us to bask in beauty and in bounty, reminds us who we are and how we belong.
#rewild #wildfood #foragetofeast #awildwomanproject #sensualoysterphoto #wildfoodphotography #applestarphoto #realgoodfood
Posted on February 29, 2016
Family
Family is not always simple
You fall in love and you become a couple, perhaps you marry, perhaps you don’t. Are you a family? You make a baby, now you are a family of three. Sometimes you break up, and so you become a smaller family, a family of two. Or perhaps someone dies.
In all of these cases though, Mothers are made and Fathers are made, and in that miraculous process, new families emerge. My focus for now, are mamas, beautiful mamas.
Being a mama is not always simple.
Sometimes you start with the wrong guy, or without a guy at all. Having a child cracks you open literally. Sometimes, you wait too long, sometimes you start too young, sometimes there are miscarriages. Then you watch a baby grow inside your miracle vessel, you have this gift to bring life from other dimensions here to Earth, you are a Star Ship Mama. The joy is intense that first moment you hold your baby, right? Of course it is. You are empowered, your are humming with vitality. Or sometimes you’re numb with exhaustion. But, you have been transformed!
Here your baby is, a gift of life to cherish and hold.
And you do, of course.
But it’s not as simple as that, is it? The intense love is simple, the intuition to protect is simple, but sometimes the breast feeding doesn’t work, sometimes the caesarian doesn’t heal well, sometimes exhaustion and post-natal depression set in for the long haul. Sometimes the marriage starts to fade away as the family bed takes over, or the need for a working dad or mum means separation and rifts in communication and life-style.
Don’t get me wrong. Becoming a mother is the greatest gift, the greatest transformation, the greatest learning I have ever experienced, and I believe most mamas I know would say the same. But I want to tell the other stories.
Its easy to picture a beautiful happy family, the love and belonging are there shining out of the eyes, the tender embrace, the play and smiles. We all have those glorious days, they are many and life-long for most. But what is hiding behind? What stories are harder to tell?
Motherhood literally cracks you open, like the earth, you open to give life, and through that emergence, a lot of tough stuff, rough edges, past injury, family legacy, emotional hurdles, financial struggle, deep need to be honoured, valued…woah, a lot of shit, comes out from that dark underbelly.
Motherhood is a gift, and also a loss.
What is lost? Is it ok to talk about it?
Yes! We must talk about it! That’s what A Beautiful Mama Project is about.
Too many of us a stuck in fear or shame, or not feeling good enough. We watch parade of happy photos flow by on Facebook or int he media, and we wonder why our lives don’t measure up. We put enormous pressure on our partners to support us and fill our needs, when what we need is a village of support. The intense miracle of bringing a baby to term, and tun raising her through the first 7 years, is a profound sacrifice for most women, we don’t talk about this sacrifice much, do we? We don’t talk about who the body is leached from breast-feeding, how the back aches from carrying, how the heart yearns for love, recognition, honouring, holding…Perhaps though the emancipated women can leave her child at one and return to work, and so not ‘sacrifice’ so much. I can tell you, that for my friends who do that, it isn’t simple either. There is another loss, a loss of attachment.
In any case, Family is not simple. Motherhood is not simple.
There are plenty of murky areas, plenty of losses, confusions.
Where does sex fit into Motherhood? Did you hear a lot of that story before you had your first child? What about money? Duty? Autonomy? Hhhhmm
There is one truth that I am so grateful for though, one amazing truth. And, that is that becoming a mother cracks us open for sure, and through the cracks the light gets in.
Even through some of the most intense family struggles you can imagine, there is light, their is learning, their is growth, their is forgiveness. But it ain’t simple, thats for sure.
I’m here to tell these stories through the voice and hearts of Mamas like you and me. To tell honour and celebrate those cracks, a hold a space for radical vulnerability. Through stories we can heal, we can share experience and wisdom that has gotten lost a long the way,smothered by shallow consumer depictions of perfect families, perfect mothers, perfect lives….family isn’t perfect, but its gloriously beautiful even on its ugly days, isn’t it?
“There’s a crack in everything, thats where the light gets. Forget your perfect offering, ring the bells that still can ring.”
So I’m happy that you are here to share this journey with me, and stay tuned for some interviews with beautiful perfectly imperfect mamas ringing their bells. We can tell the stories that will weave a blanket of support. We can do it together.
Because, you know what? Sometimes Family is bigger than you thought. Just when you were feeling like you couldn’t get through another day, and you’d throw the baby out with the dishwater, you reach out and find there is someone their to honour your rough edges, to hear your story of joy tinged with loss….
This is a call to action, together we can support each other.
It takes a village to raise a child, it takes a tribe to honour a Mama. Family is never simple, but its so much better with a community of support. I am so greatful for the families, friends and community that I have had the pleasure to witness and photograph. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do this. You are bells along my own journey of healing. Thank you for helping me find my voice and my calling. You are my Tribe, my family.
Lets open our hearts, be vulnerable, tell our stories!! Much Love, Belinda White
If you’re interested in being featured as a Mama or family in A beautiful Mama Project, please contact me, I’d be honoured to help you tell your story.
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