(Courtney Coles)Such evocative moments, captured over a decade, mirror Coles' creative transition from natural observer documenting her friends and family to artist putting her subjects on display. "It was a process," she said. "[But it] helped me stop being afraid of making art with and of my loved ones because what you're actually seeing is the product of trust and love through collaboration."The love Coles has for her subject in this series is evident in the warm light she shoots with and her choice of composition: her mother almost always filling the frame, looking larger than life even in her weakest moments."My mom is my absolute everything," Coles said. "I see so much of myself in her and her in me. I also see her mom in her and to be part of a family of strong women that beautiful is great. It's humbling to have the ability to photograph it for my future children to see."
