We caught up for a chat with photographer Rebecca Flack of Bec Shaw Photography to discuss her latest series – Blooming Motherhood – and the hope that is hiding within it.

When did you first fall in love with photography? I fell in love with photography at a young age. My Nan always had her camera out, capturing our everyday moments, and she had photo albums full of prints. I remember how special it was flicking through them. I got my first camera as a young teen and took it everywhere – even to school. A lot of my childhood is documented because of that. In high school, I’d find any excuse to submit a photography or video project instead of writing an assignment. Ever since, I’ve managed to weave photography into every job I’ve had – it’s always been part of me.

How does living in rural South Australia inform your photography practice? First of all, everyone knows everyone around here – all of my clients are generally word of mouth referrals from friends and family. I love that. Mother Nature is ever-present in my images – her textures, light and stillness naturally becomes part of the story. The slow pace of rural life allows me to hold space for my clients and turn each shoot into more of an adventure than just a photo session. We’re often walking, climbing, soaking in the views and chasing that pretty light at sunset. Being rural, we are often the only ones at locations – this is very different from the city, when you can have six to seven other photographers chasing the location. This connection to nature grounds me and flows through everything I create – it’s a true partnership. Up here, we have lots of scrubs, rivers, lakes and cliffs.

You collaborated with floral artist Pamela on Blooming Motherhood. What was the process like of bringing these photographs to life together? Interestingly, this shoot with Pamela originally started out as a water-based concept. When she reached out to me, though, I remembered a vision I’d had a while ago – one that involved flowers in stockings. This felt like the perfect fit for her, being a floral artist. So, we merged the two ideas and ended up creating something really special together. The shoot actually had two parts: we began with the Blooming Motherhood concept, then headed to the lake for some goddess water vibes. It was such a diverse and dreamy session.

Pamela foraged flowers from her friends and family, which added such a personal touch. Before the shoot, I searched online to see if anything like this had been done before, but I couldn’t find a thing. I thought – either no one’s tried it, or it’s going to be trickier than it looks! And it was! Stuffing fresh flowers into stockings turned out to be a very delicate process, but totally worth it. Pamela and I had such a laugh out in the scrub – her rolling up stockings, placing flower heads in, flicking off ants, and then realising that you have to give stockings a big tug at the end so they don't sag. It was playful, creative and full of that raw magic that I love.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Riverland Creative Motherhood Photographer (@becshawphotography)

The imagery of the flowers dispersed throughout the stockings is so beautifully unique – how did this idea come to you? The vision of flowers and stockings popped into my head during a quiet moment – those in-between spaces before sleep or in dreams are when ideas often find me. I get little sparks of inspiration when I’m still, and I’m always voice-noting or scribbling down ideas to capture them before they fade. This one felt vivid and playful right from the start, and I knew I had to bring it to life.

What ideas were you hoping to explore through these photos? All of my photos share a common theme – motherhood. I love exploring the raw, intimate moments that define this journey, often set against contrasting landscapes. The rugged, harsh terrain symbolises the strength, difficulty and resilience that comes with motherhood, while also highlighting its tender, vulnerable side. These contrasting elements create a powerful narrative, showing the beauty in both the struggle and the softness of the motherhood experience.

With Pamela, I wanted to create something deeply personal – something that reflected her strength, her softness, and the layers of her journey. We embraced movement, light and the elements around us, allowing the shoot to flow naturally

Where did you shoot these images, and why did you choose this specific environment? This series was shot in Barmera, South Australia. I love the landscape out there and knew that with Pammy being colourful, we needed to find a contrast to that with the stark scrub landscape to really make her pop. I loved the height of the stool and the way I was able to incorporate the sky for an even dreamier look. The wind was definitely in our favour, adding a whimsical element by blowing Pamela's ribbons.

As a mother and a woman, I’m drawn to photographing motherhood in harsh, untamed landscapes. There’s something deeply symbolic about it. The wild terrain – cracked earth, dry winds, vast skies – speaks to the strength, vulnerability and resilience we carry. Motherhood isn’t always soft and serene. Sometimes, it’s raw, rugged and full of extremes. Placing mothers in these environments creates a striking contrast, but also a mirror – showing that even in the toughest conditions, we still show up, we still nurture, we still grow. It’s a visual metaphor for the emotional terrain we walk as women – full of grit, love, beauty and power.