How to Be Nostalgic for the Moment You're In: Finding Beauty in Every Season of Motherhood
You know that moment when it feels like you're watching a home movie in real time?
I think that's what they call being nostalgic for the moment you're in. And I don't mean nostalgic as in these are the days you'll miss the most someday. I mean nostalgic in the sense that these are the moments you'll look back on and smile.
Every phase of motherhood is full of them. The ordinary ones. The messy ones. The beautiful ones. And I think we all can agree, the more present we are for them, the sweeter they'll feel both now and years from now.
Little did I know there was a photographer out in the Chesapeake Bay all too aware of the fleeting moments of motherhood—even made a career capturing the essence of family life and motherhood, preserving the beauty of real life in real time and reminding us, through her photographs, of how these days truly feel. The name is Rachel Larsen Weaver. Christiane and I have been fan girls of RLW ever since we stumbled across her work on Pinterest four years ago... and I quote "How amazing would it be to work with her one day when our brand is out in the world?"
Once Upon a Time in Joshua Tree
Rachel Larsen Weaver
Turns out dreams do come true in Joshua Tree. Not only did Rachel Larsen Weaver freeze time for us as we moseyed about our Mojave Moon AirBnB, but she brought three ridiculously talented film photographers with her—Rebecca Adam (Santa Cruz), Amber Vickery (Austin), and Caitlin Floyd (Nashville)—to do the same.
We are literally still pinching ourselves.
I’m missing my oldest son, Sully in these photos (he made a promise to a special kinder pal to be part of his act for the school talent show), and I’m proud of him for keeping that promise, but man, I really wish he was in these!
Back to the photographers. They stepped into our season of motherhood, capturing us with our boys in real time… their silly personalities, the bribes between the scenes, the in-between moments we would have missed, the pure joy we felt being together doing the simple things we love.
Rebecca Adam, Rachel Larsen Weaver
You capture family stories exclusively on film. Can you walk us through your long-form sessions and what you’re looking for when you decide to press the shutter?
Long Form Sessions are extended photography experiences that are as much about the act of witness as they are about the creation of images. The sessions are 24-36 hours- I stay with families in their homes. I eat meals with them. Together we create a body of work that honors the life they are building and the days they are crafting. It is not a “day in the life” sort of session- I don’t feel obligated to take pictures of every single thing people are doing. It is more about the idea of creating with a spaciousness of time- enough time for people to settle into themselves, enough time to navigate feelings and tantrums, enough time to play with new creative ideas and techniques.
One of the things about shooting with film is that it costs me nearly $2 every time I click the shutter, so I am very intentional about when I click. For me, it really involves being turned on- not in an erroctic sense, but in a deeply sensual sense. I want all the switches to be flicked, ya know? I am trying to experience the moment with my whole body- my body knows when the moment is the most saturated with essence.
I want every image I make to be drenched with humanity.
-Rachel Larsen Weaver
Rachel Larsen Weaver
How do you approach capturing the in-between moments—the ones that don’t feel significant while they’re happening, but end up meaning the most later on?
I’m always most drawn to the in-between moments. A mother reaching up to touch her child’s face, siblings who can’t stop giggling, a baby nuzzling into a parent’s chest. These quiet, fleeting connections that often go unnoticed end up telling the truest story. Because the little things are the big things, aren’t they?
-Rebecca Adam
Rebecca Adam
What has photographing families taught you about time, presence, or the way these seasons actually feel while you’re inside them?
I’m just as guilty as anyone of wanting to slow things down, but I don't know if speed is really the issue. The days can be fast or slow or somewhere in between- what I really want is to have a sense that they are full- that they are filled to the brim with essence and that they leave me satiated.
When I'm photographing families, I want to honor their speed but show them the hidden pieces that they might not be able to see in the middle of it all. And I hope to take that sensibility back to my own mothering so I see it in my days/ work/ home too.
-Rachel Larsen Weaver
Caitlin Floyd
Amber Vickery
These photos feel especially meaningful to us because they capture the heart of
why we created The Everyday Picnic Bag.
Not for the big milestones, but the in-between moments.
To make it easier to say yes to the little adventures, slow afternoons, and ordinary days that make life feel full.
Amber Vickery
“The days can be fast or slow or somewhere in between- what I really want is to have a sense that they are full- that they are filled to the brim with essence and that they leave me satiated. ”
-Rachel Larsen Weaver on motherhood
Amber Vickery
* BOOK YOUR NEXT LONG FORM SESH with*
Rachel Larsen Weaver
Amber Vickery
Caitlin Floyd
Rebecca Adam
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