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.

Quite the normal Sunday. Bimbling about, no plans really, but there's always something to be done. Mark my words: Always. You could say that I'm a very slow knitter, for example, but that's only if you didn't know about all the rest. I'm lucky if I finish something I knit for the kids before they've grown out of it, but I'm getting better, all the time, to let other things, the more sensible stuff, wait a little sometimes. Anyway, these days are all about harvesting, preserving, and getting things ready for winter. We pick beans and apples and cucumbers and turnips and more, we blanche and freeze, we (ehm, Mr. Payne, that is) build fences and sheds and feeding systems for the animals for winter time. It's nice, in a way. Even though I always dread the thought of this time, the transition from summer to autumn, it's always refreshing and feels like a weird sort of relief when it happens.
Do you know what I mean?
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Happy Friday!