Orlando, Florida-based photographer Ashley Maisonet admits that before snapping the now viral maternity image of a mom honoring her rainbow baby, she was not familiar with this particular term.
“The first time I heard about a ‘rainbow baby’ was moments before capturing the shot that now has thousands of likes and shares on social media,” Ashley told BabyCenter in an email. The clients brought the paint, and as Ashley explains, “My assistant helped paint the rainbow on our beautiful momma’s belly and that was it.”
“It was such a beautiful sight for me – especially knowing the experience that was behind the the idea,” Ashley says. She also fell in love with the image because it has, “No forced poses…no perfectly thought out angles. I saw and I captured.”
Now other moms are left to interpret this beautiful photograph in their own way. How the mama’s hands are open; are they empty? Are they searching? Both? And about the connection between the baby she is growing inside her, and the one she lost.
Ashley explains a little about this mom, named Bella, and her story on the Facebook page Birth Without Fear, writing that she lost her first child a few years ago. “As she gets ready to bare her second child, she wanted to honor + celebrate the life of the precious babe she had the privilege of carrying in her belly for a season. Naturally, I wanted to be sad over the tragedy – but instead I couldn’t help but snap my photos in awe of this beautiful form of memorabilia.”
She adds, “After the storm, there’s a rainbow.”
Learn more about Ashley Maisonet on her website, and on Facebook.
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