“All of them are of my closest friend who became a mother at 24 and had 3 daughters in 3 years. From the very beginning I photographed her and her children, even the birth of her third daughter. It was fascinating to me to see my friend transition into motherhood and how it changed her life. It was then when I realized that there are a lot of clichés when it comes to photographing pregnant women / children / mothers, and I think that’s a shame because it is one of the most normal and raw things in the world.

Photographing my friends and their children is one of my favorite things photographically, it’s not staged and it’s where I feel totally free – it’s just us spending time together, and their interactions with each other naturally form beautiful compositions. The picture in front of the black happened while I was taking a solo portrait of my friend and her daughter got fussy and she held her for a bit.

I’ve shaken off the fear of being labeled a baby photographer or someone who creates uber feminine imagery, because to me childhood and parenthood / motherhood are huge parts of life that don’t need to be hidden or glossed over. They are the foundation of everything – they are complex and deserve to be seen, not just happen in the background.”

Evelyn Dragan is a photographer based in Frankfurt. I chose these images for her ability to elevate the everyday moment to something ethereal and special– as if each photograph is a velvety poem written just for the viewer.