The Many Faces of Grief

Through the Looking Glass

Carlin lost a very loved and wanted child early in pregnancy and also all of her biological grandparents—the most recent being just last year. While busy raising a family and running a photography business, she’s also the Edmonton coordinator for “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” (a volunteer organization that does remembrance photography for newborns).

I got a strong sense of family from Carlin. She described how her interactions with her daughters remind her of her interactions with her grandparents, so I decided to portray Carlin as looking at her “reflection” (her daughter Hazel) in the frame and picturing herself as a young girl looking at her older self, perhaps a young grandmother?