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.

Today:

My whole body bursts with joy as I look out the window in the morning hours; the sun is here! We have had such a length of grey, wet and dim weather, mixed with the odd blizzard, it was almost as if we had forgotten the feeling of sun, how it warms up your entire being and just makes you want to run around and do stuff. Whoah, it's been a long time since I've felt that energy. 

Today was that kind of day. We ran outside as soon as the earliest hours had passed, and basically stayed outside the entire day. Made buns, but ate them on the back porch, played in the forest, in the sandpit, in the barn, on the yard. Roamed the land.

Oh, and we had a visit from a lovely family who are awaiting their second child, to take family photos and talk about the upcoming birth. Because - yes - I am going to photograph it. Weee!

T'was a wonderful, wonderful day. Now, the little ones are in bed, I am going to enjoy a glass of my husbands delicious home-brew, and perhaps watch another episode of that creepy series we started yesterday (True Detective: seen it?).

xxx

Yes and ps: I was interviewed by the lovely Jona over at Mammalivet, so if you want to read more (in Norwegian, sorry) on our life and my thoughts on this and that (and the other), click yourself on over there!

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Before she sleeps.

Happy Friday!