raven ivory | photograpy & films
I am the mama of two tiny humans, and was raised by a midwife and a brick mason-- the combination of such professions shaped nearly my entire being. I have a deep reverence for the power of our bodies and a great love for things made by hand. My dad passed in October 2011 and losing him really influenced how I approach documenting families. Parents hire me, thinking I will be making photos for them, but in my heart, I am preserving these memories for their children. I want, so many years in the future, those kids, well and grown, to have a stack of albums to page through, to trace the lines of their parent's faces, to be reminded of the feel of their hands, to laugh at the adventures, to soak in the love.
I love the little moments we often miss because of the speed with which time flies by. I love photography because it provides a meager means of time travel. It allows me to document the fleeting space between breaths. Too often, we are apologetic for messes and shortcomings that we all share. And while we strive for perfection, our families are growing and interacting with us in real and beautiful ways. The mess is the beauty -- sticky, dish-filled, tantrum-thrown, everyday extraordinary.