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.

In the hospital.

Ulv was born four weeks ago today, and we have spent three of them in the hospital. It feels so strange to think back on those weeks, all that time cooped up in a room, in a corridor, so out of my normal habitat, so out of place. It's almost as if it didn't happen, like it was just a weird dream. It sure feels like life with Ulv has only started for real now, at home. It's going so well! He came home without the feeding tube, so he solely feeds via bottle (babies with open palates cannot breastfeed, they cannot create the necessary vacuum), only gets my milk and thrives on it. He is strong, content, sleeps well, and shows more alertness and personality each day. It is such a joy to have him with us. All is full of love, and those weeks in the hospital seem more distant all the time. 

I'll share with you some images from our weeks there. 

Impatience.

Sneak preview: Birth.