02/04/2026
The year after I had a baby is interesting to look back on. There’s no “maternity leave” as a freelancer. Long days on set and the physical demands required to do big ad jobs tended to make people to think women with babies wouldn’t want to work (when the financial need is the strongest, of course). I was ready to get back to it after about two months, and was thrilled when I was put up for a Facebook job in Argentina. I rushed to get a passport for Oscar. I didn’t end up getting the job, and found myself kind of relieved. It seemed too soon to do an insane work trip like that, baby in tow. However, after that, everything seemed to stall. Word had spread that I had a baby and despite my “I’m back!” email blast, the response was tepid. I realized couldn’t just sit around with the stroller; at the time, I lived in Eagle Rock with a huge garage and decided to make some new work in a less demanding way, at my convenience. I had friends drop by and used the garage studio to experiment with lighting (I always had to argue to clients that I knew how to use lights, which always made me laugh) and to connect with friends. I think a lot of people think that once you have a baby you drop off the face of the planet, but I still wanted to be invited to every party and experience every hang 🤣 In the 12 years since, I think the industry has changed, albeit incrementally, for the better in how it handles pregnancy and postpartum photographers, directors, and DPs. Social media has made existing on set as a mom more visible. Hers a little blast from past and the passport pics I frantically took with my phone of 2 month old Oskie in a swaddle on a piece of white foamcore.
