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.

Roadtrip with a purpose.

We got in the car and drove all the way up the valley, to the foot of the mountain, to a scenery we were this close to moving into permanently three years ago, I had a baby in my belly then too, we were on the brink of saying yes to a job up there. It is so wild, desolate and beautiful there, so few people, all forest and mountains and sky. I'm glad we stayed down south, and we were lucky enough to buy our farm here only a few months later.
This time we went north to bring somebody with us the other way, and this guy is not to be messed with: Meet (ram)Stein Brutus Reverud, the guy now responsible for expanding our little flock of sheep. He is three years old and I must say, very handsome. He's the same breed as our ewes, of the Norwegian spælsau.
He was a bit bummed out when I left for work this morning, alone there in his pen (he has to be alone for a couple of weeks before he can be let out with the ladies), but when I came back from work later on, he had solved his problem: First you knock your gate down with your mighty horns, and then you barge through the electric fence and into the field where all the sexy ladies are (including the cows). He looked pretty chuffed with himself!
Exciting times to come!
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Today:

Sisterly love, in different shapes.