My mother is sixty-eight and was once five foot-two, but with age, she's lost two inches. She's thin, much thinner than she once was. I see this when I can wrap my hand around her wrist. The Time Between Us is a series of collaborative portraits of my aging mother and myself that depicts the bond we share as mother and daughter. My mom is my greatest support, and the person I love most. I would even call her my best friend.
The distance between the camera and my mother is small, representing our close relationship. Before I begin to photograph, I talk with my mother about what I’m trying to capture, and ask if there’s something she wants included in the project. I guide her through positioning, advising her to be herself and not force any emotions. She voluntarily allows me to record the most vulnerable moments of aging and the time we spend together.
Time doesn’t wait for you to be ready for loss. Alzheimer's runs in my family, which makes me feel like there is a ticking time bomb being held over our heads. The disease took my grandmother from me and Cancer took my Aunt Joanne. I pray that neither will take my mother. Photographs are a documentation of time and once that moment is over, it is no longer ours. With each photograph I make, it feels as if I’m losing a part of my mother. Soon these photographs will be the only thing I have remaining of her; I want to capture these moments so that I can hold on to the time we have left.
