M O T H E R // Carol

“It came at a time where we knew it was the end of her life. I knew I wanted it documented even though it was such a painful time. In and out of knowing what was going on in her life, she had stopped constantly only showing happiness. It was sad. Leaving this world is just as hard, messy, and painful as it is coming in.”- Meikel remembering her grandmother. This photograph was taken just a few days before her death.

S E E N // Usha

“She makes me happy. I see a kind, strong woman but behind her layers complicated, intelligent. You captured her grace and love. I look at this picture and see a regular human but with wisdom behind her eyes. You wouldn’t know it but she stood in the Oval Office many times. She met world leaders and conversed with some of the most powerful people in history countless times yet she still appears approachable.”- Neena honoring her Grandmother Usha.

S E E N // Audrey

M  O  T  H  E  R

“How do I feel about the person in the photo? I would say. Forgiven, embraced, connected and loved. A person who is looking toward the light and forgiven the past of its darkness. No longer sweeping it under the rug or dwelling on its hardship. Embracing the light of all possibilities to come.

How do I feel about how she looks? Stunning. Look at her strong body and capable mind. Those eyes and that smile. Wow. Hair of a goddess.” - Audrey Christensen 

4/20
Portraits of Mother by Ashley Thalman
8 Sessions Available
Email for Details

S E E N // Vanessa

M O T H E R

“I see a woman determined to do the inner work necessary to heal from the betrayal of a religion she once would have died for. I see a woman consciously healing from the betrayal of a partner she thought would stand by her in good and bad times. I see a woman who was just beginning to realize the ultimate betrayal was to herself – being so wrapped up into the labels of wife and mother that she forgot who she was.

I see a woman willing to fight for safety, both for herself and her children, not knowing if that meant a new home 500 miles away in the familiarity of Arizona desert. I see a woman who was prepared to raise four kids on her own - shifting into a new co-parenting paradigm.

I see a woman who believed in magic. A woman who watched the 2017 solar eclipse in totality, with her children at her side, believing magic would come. And it did come. In the form of a good, gentle man with a kind heart and willing hands who physically built back the pieces of a broken, abandoned home.

I see a woman who worshiped Mt. Timpanogos from the view of her new kitchen, standing at the countertops she stained herself. It was a beacon of hope every golden hour watching the brilliant colors glow on the peak. 

I see a woman who held and touched pain, who gave space to sorrow. I see a woman who was determined to rise above the valley of pain.

I see a woman who rose up from the ashes of what once was, transformed into a new radiant being. I see a woman who learned her value, self-worth, and identity are not determined by any religion, person, or labels. I see myself as whole. I see myself as good. I see myself as enough.

Now, it’s probably too long, but I wrote what I needed to.”- Vanessa Adams Kerr

4/20
Portraits of Mother by Ashley Thalman
9 Sessions Available
Email for Details

AIRPORTRAITS // Mo Amer

It was an October Monday in the quiet Edmonton airport where I met Mo. It was a chanced meeting and, like foreordained companions, we passed through TSA, through the sad terminal architecture, through the heavy-handed duty free gift shop- as a pair.

Taking cues from time and place, we chose a corner where the light was right, a place to talk and share. In that place we were seen and we saw each other. The truth is that Mo blessed me by being seen and showing up like he did. Connection, kindness, consideration, and fantastic light is all around us. And Mo, he’s experienced, artistic, deep, and funny. It has been so amazing in the last year and a half to see and watch Mo’s light and depth shine in a world that needs his voice, needs his generosity and humor.

THOUGHTS // Reality of Love

Snapped these a few weekends ago after completing Javi’s professional headshots. Seeing a friend in love is a magic I will always follow and want to capture and know more about. Natty and Javi met on a day where he, riding his bicycle, wasn’t planning to turn right. They met in a place that if she’d left just a minute earlier, she would have missed him. But what could have happened, didn’t happen. What happened is that reality that brought them together, and reality got it right.

THOUGHTS // I'll Be Damned

My daughter took this photo of me at Andi Pitcher’s cabin. No bra, lounging around, yesterday’s makeup, wild hair. It was a lazy morning, the kind that I’ve given myself permission to have. The sun was so warm there. Dotter raised the camera and I had a choice to make. I could have silently protested the portrait by letting her take it overexposed or by shewing her away, “Not until I’m dressed” or “No, let me take some of you.” But I didn’t, I set her exposure and let her see me.

My daughter is 10, the age so many of us began to pull at our skin, to notice lines in the abdomen when twisting, the way thighs pucker, the way we didn’t measure “right”. We inherited this from the work not done before us and I’ll be damned. I’ll be damned to be another woman pulling at puckers and hating my body, demonstrating this for my children and friends. I will not pass this on. I will let her take the photo and I will take hers, and yours, and again and again.

FAMILY AT HOME // The Sanford Family

Colby and Alicia live a life of intention and artful trust that I deeply admire. This is our second time collaborating to make portraits of their family. This time Faye greeted me by name. She’s grown. We all have, but most obvious is her growth. She answered a question of, “Faye, what kind of cheese do you like?” with “SWISS!”. Her parents erupted in laughter and so did I.

We didn’t spend nearly as much time at the Sanford home as last year, opting to visit nearby Rock Canyon Park- exploding with the happy subtle fall colors often found in Colby’s home-centric painted celebrations of home and family relationships. The weather was brisk, the colors rich, and the sky was perfectly overcast (my preferred climate for photo session days).

This session Alicia wore a stunning red linen two-piece dress that she sewed and an abstract pattern crop. Colby’s knit cap and Faye’s cardigan are also Alicia’s creations. It is so easy to join Colby in seeing Faye and Alicia as generous muses.

See Colby’s prolific and moving painting HERE