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.

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood.

Love + vegetables

With these words starts our favorite book/film these days (these months, rather) - The Gruffalo. If you're not yet acquainted with the clever/cunning/brave little brown mouse and his "friends", it's definitely time to do so! (If you have kids, I guess.) The book is quite simple (but sweet!), but the film (and the sequel,The Gruffalo's Child!) is really good. So good, that we know all the words by heart, that we watch it many times a week (it's only half an hour long), and that we've even become the characters.

Pictured below: The little brown mouse, fittingly on a walk in the deep dark wood. (Photo: The Gruffalo's wife.)

DSC_0982

Love at first sight.

The Indian of the group.