Among several subjects, Maeve McWhinney photographs her children. Far from being family photographs, her work documents precise moments in her children’s lives as they experience emotions such as joy, sadness, pain, and wonder—the feelings that at one time or another in our own lives we perhaps have also personally felt. Spontaneity and readiness are important factors in capturing the image, whether it be in the quiet, sullen moment after the child’s eye swells from a mosquito bite or the precise moment when the child discovers herself in a mirror as a seemingly grownup reflection of who she is becoming.

From behind the camera, Maeve focuses on her subjects as they in turn focus on the camera and directly through the camera into their mother’s creative eye. It is through the child’s eyes that the photographer connects the viewer to universally shared perceptions:

“As an artist, as well as a person, I’m most interested in people and their stories. I’m fascinated by how people grow and evolve over the course of their lives and the lines that we can draw back to childhood that influence who we become as adults. Despite our different narratives, I’m most inspired by the shared human condition that connects us. Most of us can remember moments in our lives when we have felt scared, sad, hurt, frustrated, happy, in awe, or just deeply lonely. As a photographer, I try to capture the moments that intersect people and emotion in a way to which many of us can relate. Those are the stories that I want to share through my work—the ones that are universal, nostalgic, or make us feel something.”

- MM