The images for Jessica Mahoney’s arresting, colorful maternity taken by photographer JoAnn Marreno, bright plumes of red, blue, and green smoke surround the expectant mother—a cloud rainbow as beautiful as the subject herself. But once you add the story behind these bright, joyful images, you’ll see that they’re also laced with sadness and resilience.
Yes, rainbows are the running theme in Marreno’s photoseries, but it’s not just about dramatic color. In recent years, some have taken to calling pregnancies after miscarriages “rainbow pregnancies”—a nod to the hope and joy one feels after all that darkness. Before this series, Mahoney and her husband, Kevin, have had one child and, in between that and her current pregnancy, five miscarriages. Given that, nothing could be more appropriate and beautiful than surround her with huge plumes of color.
As noted elsewhere, 10 to 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Yet, the subject of miscarriage is something very, very few of us talk about. It’s understandable to some extent given the unique nature of those tragedies. Still, it’s remarkable how few women open up about something so relatively common. It’s a trend that leaves many women and couples suffering through it to do so alone.
And, so, what Mahoney and Marreno—with help from mentor Mary Mahoney—have created is not only touching, it’s incredibly brave and necessary. We can only salute them (and wipe the tears from our eyes).
For more on the shoot and more photos, visit here and here.