When Canadian photographer Trina Cary held a breastfeeding shoot on a beach on Australia's Sunshine Coast, she did not expect it to lead to such a beautiful series of photographs.
Cary gathered 14 women – some friends, some strangers – and photographed them breastfeeding their bubs on a full moon night. The clouds may have covered the moon, but the mums stayed in the spirit of things.
After a few shots of the women fully clothed, one mum approached the photographer and asked if she could pose nude. Soon after the others were removing pieces of clothing and getting comfortable in front of the camera.
"I couldn't wipe the smile from my face," Cary wrote on her blog post.
"I just love it when strangers come together and support each other's journeys and bodies. The whole evening was oozing with empowerment, support and love."
Female body empowerment has been a recurring theme in Cary’s photography. In 2016, she spoke out in defence of a client who was attacked online over an intimate photoshoot that was meant to showcase self-love and postpartum challenges.
Many of the women who participated in the breastfeeding photoshoot spoke about overcoming difficulties in connecting with their baby and celebrating early motherhood.
One of the mums, Belinda Dorman, said in the same blog post that she was excited to take part in Cary's photoshoot because it celebrated her body and breastfeeding her child.
"This wasn’t about anyone else’s journey but my own and damn I deserve to celebrate that!"
