“My son and I were moving from California to New York the following week and were in the midst of so much transition and change and even a bit uncertainty. Having this moment captured – our last few days of being Californians – was perfection. A time capsule of this moment in our lives in the place where our journey as mother and son had begun. I’m forever grateful that she, my son and I had that experience.

My son is 4 years old. In his short life, his father and I have separated and decided that we are better off apart. My motherhood story involves a lot of self-reflection, a lot of forgiveness, and a lot of compromising. I started out promising myself that I would always choose to exist in my truth, that my son would know me, know our life and know what the world is about. I had a completely natural and spiritually awakening birth experience. I think a mother’s first gift to their child is a natural birth if she can medically have one. It prepared me for the job at hand and to understand what trust is, what sacrifice for your child’s well-being feels like, and to understand that motherhood is not an easy ride by any means. Now, he’s a very forward-thinking child. He began speaking at 9 months old. He wants to be an engineer, he likes to know how things work – as most children do. He asks questions that give me pause. He tells me I’m beautiful (something his father taught him to do). I am so thankful for this lifelong journey of being a mother. I am so thankful to be part of this incredible tribe of women who are doing this soul-bending work in a world that does not make it easy for any of us”. Ashley, Mother

“To mothers in waiting, mothers who struggle with self-love, mothers who feel lost (as we all do) sometimes – know that you are doing it right. Our children speak love, it’s all they know. Love yourself fiercely and unapologetically and forgive yourself daily. Motherhood is not about perfection, it’s about making music out of the chaos”. Ashley, Mother

“I was inspired to do this shoot in all black and white to really grab the emotions from the shoot and not be distracted by color or light. I wanted to also show the strength and love between mom and son, since Ashley is a newly single mother moving to back to New York. The love that she has for her son that is an unbreakable bond in a hard time right now was what I was really trying to portray in this session. I hope other single moms are inspired by Ashley’s strength!” Samantha, Photographer

SAMANTHA KIRK PHOTOGRAPHY | Canon 5D Mark III, Illford 3200