Maternity Portrait: A beam of light within.

For many women, maternity pictures may not be their first item in their wish list. For me, it's a moment that must be kept in a place other than in our memory. There is something about pregnancy that makes women look different, of course, besides the obvious. There is a shine in their eyes that makes them glow entirely. Must be that there is life within life, and that beam of light slips through their eyes.

I love to see pregnant women carry themselves proud and confident. Their anatomy didn't loose its appeal, on the contrary, it was enhanced; redesigned to eclose a little world, perfectly round and alive. It moves with purpose and responds to the outside world, to the noise and to the music, and perceives light and it feels. Pregnancy is a long journey but an unforgettable one. When it's over, it's hard not to want to see those images again. As a kid, I loved to look at my mother's picures while she carried me in her belly. There was an excitement as if I were going to be able to see through it. And I couldn't, but it didn't matter, it still made me smile and wonder. Now after the years have passed, to see a picture of my mom while she was expecting me, builds a strong bond between us, it's like our 'little secret', Our 'thing'.

Zulema is the perfect example of this glow and this bond. I don't think there is much left to be said. What I just described was clearly captured in these two portraits. As soon as I got into her room I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted the light to strike. On the image above, I asked her to come by the window to allow the daylight on her face. She put her hands behind her, leant against the wall, and voilá! That was it. There was no need for anything else. She looked beautiful as whe was. Her eyes were already lit by the source she had inside of her: the baby. The rest was just the frame to mould the image. I worked this picture as if it was a paint. I used "brushes" to create effects over a 'canvas' and the result is very pleasing as it outlines the eyes and the expresion.

Zulema and Aric: congratulations for the masterpiece. Delivery is on its way.

Yhe image below is called simply: "Maternity Bond"