Marta Faye, a Galway-based photography business specializing in portraits, has begun a new project called 'Mums Over 40', which documents women who became mothers after they turned 40.
Marta Faye is a collaboration between Joanna Marta and Chanelle Faye, who are an artist and photographer based in Galway. In a beautiful, inclusive celebration of motherhood, they have begun a new project called 'Mums over 40' - a series of portraits of mothers who had children after the age of forty.
According to the Marta Faye website, the 'Mums over 40' project is about:
"celebrating the strength of women and it is also about challenging misconceptions such as “it’s dangerous to have a child after 40” or “it’s too difficult to be an older mum”."
The project is aimed at women who have had trouble conceiving, used IVF treatment, or who might have spent their twenties and thirties focused on their career and now want to start a family. They continue:
"We also want to put the spotlight on women who may have waited to have a child because they were focused on their career in their 20’s and 30’s or women who conceived after a long time of trying to get pregnant or trying treatments such as IVF. We are hoping to develop a series of honest, intimate and raw portraits of mothers with their child."
The portraits and stories reveal a raw, unfiltered look at motherhood over the age of forty. The photographs show mothers cradling their young children, some smiling, some laughing, some comforting - but all of them loving their children and doing their best to be the best mum they can be.
In a society where the perfect nuclear family is beginning to no longer be accepted as "the norm", it is wonderful to see a vibrant celebration of "older" mums who deserve their stories to be told. More of this, please!
