Our Mother's Stories

“A Freeing and Liberating Experience”

Sharon Kaufman, 36, quietly walked into my studio on West 27th. I almost didn’t hear her. She was a well-dressed woman, wearing the traditional NY color, black, and around her neck was a delicate silver necklace from Tiffany. On it was a bean - the nickname she and her husband had given to the baby she was carrying. The necklace was a gift from her husband when they found out she was pregnant, after many months of trying.

Sharon was nervous and excited for her shoot. These images would be a surprise for Bob for their first anniversary.

Following the traditional paper theme for first anniversary gifts, she wanted to incorporate her pregnancy into the gift and came up with the idea of having maternity photographs taken as a “paper present.” She wrote Bob a poem, hinting of the gift but kept the photo session a secret.

After researching many maternity photographers online, she told me that she loved my portfolio. She was also very impressed that we responded immediately to her initial phone call and how my team stayed in touch with her during the booking process, taking special care to tell her what to expect. Of course this all made me feel great.

And now, here she was at my studio. We began her shoot the same way I do with all my clients, with a brief conversation and some yoga. We got along very well. I was completely taken by the love she had for her husband and her thoughtfulness of the gift including writing the poem.

She had never done anything like this. Sharon was a natural. She even told me that at one point in the session she forgot she was nude! “The experience of having my photo made with [you] was as valuable as the photos themselves,” said Sharon. “It was truly a freeing and liberating experience.” Sharon also told me she appreciated my ability to capture her state of mind at the time, a feeling that she says is reflected in her photographs.

Weeks later, after we printed her final choices, Sharon showed the images to Bob. He lit up at the site of her beauty. “When I revealed the photos, it was a special moment for both of us,” said Sharon. “All along he had no idea that I had done any of this, so I also re-read him the poem I’d given him several months earlier, and then it all made sense,” she smiled.