Meet Maria Fonseca Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Fonseca Photography.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I am an anthropologist by training and have always been interested in issues related to global maternal and child health. I have been particularly interested in birth. My son often reminds me of how when he was very young and we visited the Science Museum, I would always start off our day by dragging him down to the birth videos on the lower level. But even back then, my interest was not solely on the actual birth. I knew I wanted to document the creation of new families. To me birth has always been about love and connection.

I have worked for 2 obstetricians during my career but neither would allow me to shadow them during a delivery since I am not a clinician. I wanted to simply observe the phases of labor, birth, and post-partum. I wanted to observe the role of dads supporting their wives in birthing their babies. I wondered what it would be like if dads were not responsible for capturing quick cell phone images but were allowed to be fully present in supporting their wives in the creation of new families. I knew that I would eventually transition from being a hobbyist photographer to being a professional documentary photographer. I was determined to bring my interest in family creation to the forefront of my career.

Please tell us about your art.
I capture art in the various niches of photography: maternity and birth; portraiture; dance and performing arts; and events. My web designer made a hugely interesting observation about my art. She noted that I capture the magic of the moment in both births and dance. My art captures movement and transformation of one kind or another. I photograph what I feel and what touches my soul.

I want my art to tell stories that will be passed down from one generation to the next.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
The greatest challenge is always about money. Artists continue to experience difficulty receiving artist grants to develop and showcase their work.

In my particular niche … birth photography … the greatest challenge lies in normalizing this area of photography. It has been normalized in a few other areas of the country (Denver, CO; Santa Cruz, CA as examples) where birth photographers enjoy burgeoning businesses. Our job as birth photographers here in New England is to educate on the VALUE of the service we strive to provide. So much of birth is missed by parents as they labor to bring their babies earthside. We photographers document their birth stories to remind them of all the magical moments they missed.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have yet to have my work exhibited in a gallery. It is now best viewed on my website (http://mariafonseca.net) and my Instagram account (@mariafonsecastudio). Additionally it can by viewed on both my Facebook business page (Maria Fonseca Photography) and my Facebook personal page (Maria Fonseca).

Contact Info:

• Address: 14 Quincy Street, Arlington, MA 02476
• Website: http://mariafonseca.net
• Phone: 781-354-6096
• Email: mfon52@aol.com
• Instagram: @mariafonsecastudio

Image Credit:
Maria Fonseca Photography

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