Single Mum and LOVING LIFE.

I met the wonderful woman that is Kerry Howard quite by chance on Instagram not so long ago and I felt compelled to contact her and photograph her. She seemed to have an amazing energy that I really wanted to capture. She is a newly single mum of two exquisite boys; Wes who is 4 and Cal who is 14 months.
We spent the morning taking gorgeous photos of her and her two boys in her beautiful house and garden, spending time in each room. It was a very relaxed and intimate shoot.

Being a single mum is, I imagine, one of the most exhausting experiences a person could have. You are burdened with the same challenges as a two-parent family—but you’re doing it alone. Yet it is equally one of the most joyful experiences a person could have. You get to do all of the work, yes, but you also reap most of the rewards.

I wanted to ask her how she remains so happy and energetic while juggling two children, work, and all of the other responsibilities’ life gives us. The truth is I didn’t need to ask her how, I could just feel her empowerment by being a single mum. It was radiating from her, gaining strength from her children and the beautiful life she is giving them. And she took great joy in immersing herself in activities with her children and sharing those moments with them.

We started the shoot outside and took advantage of the beautiful bright and clear sunny day. We then meandered through her garden and Wes showed me his amazing miniature Harley Davidson! He also showed me is lovely herb and vegetable garden which he took great pride in.

We then moved indoors where Kerry and her boys snuggled on the sofa for some beautifully intimate shots. The connection and love between these three was palpable!

After a bit of den making, and a quick trip to the (amazingly colourful and well stocked) pantry for biscuits, we climbed up their four flights of stairs right to the top of the house where Wes showed me his amazing red London Bus bed!

We finished the shoot with jumping on and off Mummy’s bed and a few stolen cuddles and kisses. These two boys are just gorgeous, and they love their beautiful mama A LOT!

I hope this shoot gives two fingers up to the patriarchy, what a conventional ‘family portrait’ looks like and indeed what a conventional ‘family’ looks like. It doesn’t exist. We all come in different shapes and sizes and so do our emotions and our families and our life experiences. This is family life at its realest and rawest and most beautiful.

For this single mum loving life, and who is rocking it.