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Exploring Ethiopia with Photographer Eyerusalem Jiregna

This post is in celebration of Women’s History Month. Throughout March, we’ll be highlighting the stories of women doing extraordinary things around the world.

Born and raised in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, 23-year-old Eyerusalem Jiregna (@eyerusalem_a_jiregna) knows a thing or two about fast-paced environments. But she also hopes that her photographs might inspire people to pause and look — really look — at the visual wonders that could be waiting around any corner. “I know that people have busy lives,” Eyerusalem says, “but when we’re rushing everywhere, we’re not seeing what’s around us. I want people to appreciate what’s in front of them, and I hope that my pictures can help make that happen.”

While she finds photographing people rewarding, Eyerusalem does find herself photographing women and girls more often than men. “Motherhood in Ethiopia is so significant, and the women here work so hard,” she says. “I want to try to share their stories through my photographs.”

photography, WomensHistoryMonth, Ethiopia, Motherhood, Addis Ababa, Eyerusalem Jiregna, instagram,

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Capturing the Magic of Motherhood with Natalie Grono

#MyStory is a series that spotlights inspiring women in the Instagram community. Join the conversation by sharing your own story. To see more of Natalie’s photography, follow @nataliegrono on Instagram.

“#MyStory is about capturing the extraordinary moments within the ordinary ones, the magic inside of everyday life.” —Australian photojournalist Natalie Grono (@nataliegrono), who turned the lens toward her own 4- and 6-year-old daughters to capture their imaginative world.

“I’d always taken photos of children because I just love their nature, and as my daughters got a bit older, I started photographing them. I’m inspired by their world of fantasy and shadows and play and drama. They play so naturally that nothing can ever really be staged, so I’m just kind of following them around in their own little world.

“I don’t know if they’ll want me to continue following them around with a camera as they get older, but I haven’t thought too much about that yet. That’s what I love about childhood — children are so good at playing and being in the moment that they’re not worried about what’s going to happen next.”

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Celebrating Motherhood and Every Body with Jade Beall

To see more of Jade’s photography, follow @jadebeallphotography on Instagram. This post is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week 2016.

“#MyStory is about truthfully photographing women to remind them that they are beautiful, just the way they are, without making them into someone other than themselves.” —Jade Beall (@jadebeallphotography), photographer, who took this photo of a nursing mom in Tucson, Arizona.

“It all started when I was pregnant, and I wanted to be that bounce-back mother. I gained more weight than I was supposed to, I gave birth and the weight barely came off. Five weeks into my new motherhood, I realized I should take a photo, because I wanted to expand my portfolio to add more body diversity. I stood — cellulite, flab, everything — breast-feeding my 5-week-old son. Now, I spend my time photographing women, facilitating them feeling beautiful in their own skin.

“The women that come to me are definitely on a path for self-love. They’re done with feeling ‘less than,’ unworthy of being called beautiful. As soon as they stand on my backdrop, something shifts. Afterwards, 90 percent of the time women say, ‘That felt so good. I don’t even need to see the photos.’”

photography, breastfeeding, nursing, mystory, worldbreastfeedingweek, pregnancy, motherhood, Jade Beall, instagram,

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Celebrating Breastfeeding and Raising Daredevils with @motherofthewild

For more photos celebrating breastfeeding and the beauty of motherhood, follow @motherofthewild on Instagram.

After 1-year-old Dread took a bad fall, mom Laurel Creager (@motherofthewild) soothed him in a way only she could — by nursing. “My husband actually thinks of breastfeeding like a magic wand,” she says. “Breastfeeding has changed me as a person. [It] has given me so much respect for the female body.”

Laurel, who is a drummer, seamstress and self-described “tech nerd,” would call both her kids daredevils. “The wild” is Laurel’s nickname for Dread’s 4-year-old sister Vera, who recently decorated her own hair with clothes hangers and once moved their living room furniture in order to jump from tables to chairs. Their family also has four hermit crabs, two dogs, two rats and a guinea pig, meaning Laurel never runs out of adorable material for pictures. But documenting her family’s life is more than entertainment. Laurel’s mom passed away shortly after Vera was born, and didn’t leave behind many personal photos. “I feel like I am leaving a footprint,” Laurel says. “Like my children will never have to question how much they meant to me or what activities we did together. They are my world, and the unconditional love I receive from them is so beautiful.”

This post is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week 2015.

photography, breastfeeding, motherhood, babies, toddlers, nursing, moms, instagram,