Framed Features Natalie Lennard for Her Birth: Undisturbed Series

British fine-art photographer Natalie Lennard, also known as Miss Aniela, was recently interviewed by Framed as part of her Birth: Undocumented fine art series. Lennard, who first gained notoriety on Deviant Art for her unique self-portraits, and later rose to prominence as a conceptual fantasy photographer, has thrown all the skill she's built over the years into her latest personal project celebrating the miracle of birth.

In this interview with Framed, Lennard shares her journey from conceptual fashion photographer who was still questioning the purpose of her career, to mother and fine-artist hip-deep in a brave passion project rooted in a traumatic but powerful life event. Here, we see a well-known photographer vulnerable as she shares the story of losing her firstborn child, and how that experience put her on a path to creating powerful new work that is inspiring women the world over. Lennard breaks down her inspiration for each image that has been released for the series so far, her hope that raw depictions of these birth stories will empower women to choose the birth experience they want, as well as admitting her reservations about how images like these will be received by the public. If the comments on her Facebook page are anything to judge by, the series has been received exactly the way she hoped, with women and men alike awed by the passion clear in her photographs.

Nicole York's picture

Nicole York is a professional photographer and educator based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. When she's not shooting extraordinary people or mentoring growing photographers, she's out climbing in the New Mexico back country or writing and reading novels.

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9 Comments

I don't believe that's what makes them more powerful, it's simply one of the ways they're different from men. Being a woman is in its own right is wonderful, and the things that separate them from men should be celebrated, not used as a means to gain or lose "power." In my opinion, this entire "power" thing is what causes insecurities in both sexes. Women are great. Men are great. They are different, not better, not worse...different, and that's fantastic.

Sorry, William, there is no humor in combining the two subject, "money and a woman's body part" And then we wonder why women are uptight.

Approximately 100,000 women a year die around the world from blood loss associated with childbirth.
It is the leading cause of maternal death and reducing baby deaths and brain injuries during childbirth are still current as ever.

Postnatal hormonal changes: 50% of women experienced depression for more than 1 year after childbirth. The review also found that in women who were not receiving clinical treatment, 30% of women with postpartum depression were still depressed up to 3 years after giving birth.Jul 13, 2015

Gary Busey is an ignorant so and so. No doubt I will get a thumb down from some.

Hmmm...my dad passed away on Sunday. I come on here and see this bickering and divisiveness and comments deliberately trying to rile people you don't even know up and I think, "you are wasting your time here instead of spending what little precious time we have with those we love." Might I suggest that everyone step away from comment sections and spend that time with your loved ones. They are gone before you are ever ready and you will regret that you spent your hours away with anonymous people on a stupid electronic box.

I'll also add that my dad was a traditional man, brought up and raised through 40's and 50's, but he recognized in the 70's and 80's that his daughter was spirited and he taught her to wrench on engines with him, change her own tire, etc. It's not quite as divisive as people would like to make it out to be with all these feminism/anti-feminism/conservative/liberal crap. There are lots of shades of gray in there and we are losing sight of those shades with internet arguing.

My sympathies on your loss, Donna. It sucks when our parents pass. My mother died in 2000 aged 52 and my Dad died 9 years later aged 63. I just turned 50. Life's too short to be worried about this internet stuff indeed.

Thank you, Dallas. I am so sorry to hear about your Mom and Dad. They were so young.

No doubt a powerful series. How did she fund all these grand projects? I would like to access to underwater, to ice caves, to ancient ruins, to castles and to the untouched parts of the world to create beautiful images. And besides the cost of projects, one needs to pay for the family bills and raise kids and mortgage and what not...

I'm not totally sure but I"m pretty sure she built her portfolio like anyone builds a business. She started small and then once she started creating amazing work she started selling art prints and getting hired by companies like Nikon. She will certainly go down in history as one of the all-time great fine art photographers.

Laughing at family fortune.

www.fashionshootexperience.com answers the question for first part. ..For everything else, there's Mastercard

Incredible story. I think Natalie is one of my favorite photographers. Every single image she makes is flawless.