A mother of four, photographer, nature lover. Someone trying to make sense of it all, through photos and stories. 

I try to be free in all senses of the word, so I made the leap and now work with what I love doing; taking pictures, storing this life in moments, both for myself and for clients. My heart is in photographing birth and motherhood, but I take on just about any photography job. 
(See my birth photos at www.birth.no and the rest of my work portfolio at www.mariavatne.no.)

I live on a farm in Norway with my man Nik and my children Ronja, Freja, Falk and Ulv, plus a bunch of animals. We grow our own food as far as the seasons allow it, we don't go to kindergarten, the three youngest ones will be homeschooled.

We govern our own lives, we strive for independence, we want to be in this life wild and free and full of love.

Wild and free.

First, I want to thank everyone for showering me with love and care and sweet supportive words after the last post in the Zoo Payne-blog. I was in doubt whether it was right to share something so personal, but only minutes after publishing the post, messages of love and open doors started ticking in. I am so moved by that. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It proves to me that it is all worthwhile, this journey of sharing and opening my door a little. That it means something; not just to me (which is definite), but to some people out there, too. That by not being afraid of sharing my soft spots, I am also allowing people in, I am inviting you to see me, and to share with me. Being open is the key, that's where you can silence your fear and stand strong in yourself, by not being afraid to show you. The struggles, the love, the joy, the anxiety, there is room for it all, we are in it together.

Wild and free: The name of this space from now on. It will most likely contain much of the same as it has before - lots of photos and stories from my life. The difference is that by removing the Payne name, I am making it represent only me. This is my voice, my space, my journey to becoming truly wild and free.

Love! 

Ps: You can still find all the Zoo Payne-posts here, just look up to the menu, and there it is! 

These four.