Calling on Canberra region photographers – amateur, professional and those who were just lucky – to share moments captured on the journey to parenthood in the Perinatal Portraits exhibition. The final submissions will be shown at The Shine Dome, ANU on Saturday 4 November.
The Perinatal Wellbeing Centre is on the hunt for photos that tell part of the story of the perinatal period, capturing the importance of support, family vulnerability, and appreciating the small moments that come along with it.
Open to all those in the ACT and surrounds, the exhibition will go towards raising some much-needed funds for the Centre so they can continue to deliver their vital services for families and parents-to-be.
All submissions are required to be submitted digitally, and the Centre especially seeks images that capture the joy and importance of family and the vulnerability the transition to motherhood brings.
“Maybe it was family that supported you through your transition, and you want to share a happy snap, or perhaps it is a photo that shows your more vulnerable side because you want others to know they are not alone,” says Dr Yvonne Luxford, CEO of Perinatal Wellbeing Centre.
For $30 per image, entrants can choose the most fitting category – motherhood, parenthood, family, candid baby, and beyond parenthood. There is a submission option for professional photographers.
A community-based organisation, the Perinatal Wellbeing Centre helps mother and their families who are having trouble adjusting to, managing, or preparing for parenthood. Through phone, online, in-person and group support programs, the Centre creates care plans for each individual, helping until the youngest member of the family is two years old.
Anxiety or depression, sometimes both, impact one in five expectant mothers and on in 10 expectant fathers or partners. The team at the Centre know the perinatal period (from conception to a year post-birth) is a critical time for mothers and birth givers that requires major adjustments for the whole family.
“This is why it is important we share the good times but also the vulnerability motherhood brings,” says Dr Luxford.
Knowing how many parents, expectant parents and families with children are in our region, the CEO encourages as many people as possible to get involved in the photographic competition – photos don’t even have to be recent.
“Forget about socials – your photos will be hung in a professional exhibition to help parents who need a hand at the same time,” says Dr Luxford. “We need Canberrans to get cracking. Take some photos, or flick through their phone to find their greatest images.”
Hoping to receive an abundance of entries, the organisation says that any photos not displayed can either request a refund on their submission fee or donate the money.
Submissions can be made until 9 October. The exhibition will be held at The Shine Dome, ANU on Saturday 4 November; perinatalwellbeingcentre.org.au/appeal/perinatal-portraits23
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