Thursday 16 June 2016

RIARNA v CANCER























Today is a big day. Today is one year from the day that Riarna was told that she had cervical cancer. 

She was 27 at the time and life was seemingly perfect. She and her husband were running their own business. They had a beautiful little boy Hunter and they were planning on adding to their family in the next year. 

Three days after she found out she had stage 3 cancer she was told that her best chance of survival was to have her fallopian tubes removed and ovaries lifted out of the way to clear the path for radiation. The surgery meant Riarna could not have any more biological kids.

When I first read Riarna's story I was a shaken. Our lives were basically identical! Fit and healthy young mums (our boys are only a month apart in age) with everything ahead of us. What scared me the most was how Riarna described her symptoms... discharge, lower back and abdominal pain, tired all the time... is this not just every woman? It was too close to home for me and I booked in with my gyno the next week for a pap smear to make sure my symptoms were just from being a busy mum. Luckily for me everything came back clear but I couldn't stop thinking about how many of us would not be so lucky. I have one girlfriend who has never had a pap smear. She is too scared it will hurt. I understand where she is coming from, they are no facial treatment, but would you rather hear the words 'you have cancer?'

And all this is why I fell so in love with Riarna. When I met her she was this super bubbly, smiling little ray of sunshine and I was thinking 'why isn't she angry, why isn't she feeling sorry for herself?' Riarna doesn't view her cancer as something that abruptly interrupted her life. She views it as an opportunity to educate other women and make sure we all know that it can happen to ANYONE. She is using her experience to speak up and make sure we all get our regular pap smears and lead healthy lives. She now dedicates her time to spreading the word... and passing on recipes for delicious and organic baked goods, free from all the chemical bullshit that is in so much of what we eat these days.

When you look at these photos I hope that you feel emotion, I hope that you feel something towards Riarna and in turn think of yourself and your own family, I hope that you start thinking about your body and make a note to book in with your GP for a pap smear, I hope that this changes your perception of 'beauty'. But mostly, I want you to all take a note from Riarna's book and know that no matter what, this life is worth putting up one hell of a fight for.

A note from Riarna about the shoot:

"This is me. A mother, a wife, a cancer survivor. I do not hide, my story has always been shared, now to show the physical side. The marks, the scars, a timely reminder that I have fought and I have risen above.
Life can be tough, but it's important to always love who you are. Be comfortable with your body, embrace yourself. Scars, stretchmarks etc, they all hold significance to the journey life has taken you on, they define you."

For more details on Riarna's cancer journey click HERE

And for all those yummy recipes check out her website Nourish, Nurture, Live HERE

Danielle
xxx

Photographer: Danielle Symes
Model: Riarna Springbett
H&MU: Amanda Grace Nash
Location: The Muecke Palette (South Australia)










Tuesday 14 June 2016

LAUREN AND JACK JAMES










































On social media being a mum is all smiles, bugaboo’s, perfectly composed pictures of sleeping babies (sometimes accompanied by puppies), cute baby chino dates, mummy and baby Pilates, perfectly styled nursery’s and organic home made food. The reality… reflux, poo, sleep deprivation, dressing gowns till 3pm, sinks filled with dishes and squeezy yoghurt tubes which I pretend to ignore are 100% sugar. Oh and those baby chino dates, they are 27 seconds of peace followed by 18 baby wipes.

And don’t get me wrong; I love the pretend instagram mum! She gets me through all the poo! And being a photographer I’m guilty of it myself… I once walked in on my husband and toddler having a day nap and instead of just admiring and soaking up the moment I went and got my camera, snuck into the room, stood up on the bed above them (at this stage my husband woke up and gave me a filthy look) and snapped away till I got the instagram worthy shot. Totally worth it.

When Lauren asked me to shoot her and her babe Jack she told me she wanted it to be ‘real.’  No babies in feathery baskets, no photo-shopped skin… just her; at home doing what she does every single day. So that’s what we did and the result was raw, real and perfect.

After about an hour of shooting Jack started to get a little bit grizzly and Lauren asked me if we could stop for a bit so she could feed him but instead we kept shooting. After all, breastfeeding during those early stages is pretty much what motherhood is. Our boobs are out 90% of the day! Those shots of Lauren and Jack in bed, sheets tousled with the afternoon light sneaking in are my favourite shots from the day and I’m so grateful I was able to be there to capture it.

So thank you Lauren for letting me in on your day to day and viewing your bond through my lens. After only 2 hours together I could see what an amazing mother you are blossoming into.

To see Lauren’s take on the day check out her blog post HERE

Danielle
xxx