When her mother passed away, photographer Jennifer Loeber created a series of photos of her mom’s personal items placed alongside portraits of her mother. The tribute went viral on Instagram, and helped Jennifer and many others cope with loss. In Issue 18 you can read Jennifer’s story. Here’s a taster of the feature.
‘Mom and me in a Polaroid (1976); her favorite-colored lipstick’
“In that period my grief was still very raw and I didn’t feel like setting up the studio to document my mother’s private property under perfect lightning conditions. I wanted to keep it small and intuitive, no hassle. So I used my iPhone. That very simple approach helped me take the emotional sting out of the photos. Because there was no pressure, I had the time and space for the flow of memories and stories that the objects evoked. They were often vivid memories of my teenage years. A belt and a handbag, for example, reminded me of how often I’d begged to be allowed to borrow them. Instead of crying at the sight of such objects, I simply had to laugh. It felt liberating.”
- You can find the article ‘The Story of my Mother’ in Issue 18.
- On Jennifer’s Instagram you can see more photos.
Text Chris Muyres Photography Jennifer Loeber
