In the world of baby photography, it is not unusual to see images of cherub-like infants encased in flower pots, wicker baskets and snoozing gently on leaves.
What is unusual, however, is a baby photograph imbued with cultural meaning.
Indigenous Australian photographer and mother-of-four, Bobbi Lockyer, 31, specialises in culturally significant baby photography.
Her breathtaking works pay homage to her own Indigenous culture – as she captures babies and children surrounded by traditional Indigenous props and tools, and pregnant women in the outback alongside traditional Indigenous dot painting.
Recently, Ms Lockyer created a new stunning photographic series, centred around the theme of ‘Because of her, we can’.
Indigenous Australian photographer and mother-of-four, Bobbi Lockyer, 31, specialises in culturally significant baby photography (pictured)
Her breathtaking works pay homage to her own Indigenous culture – as she captures babies and children surrounded by traditional Indigenous props and tools, as well as Indigenous women in the outback (pictured)
Recently, Ms Lockyer created a new stunning photographic series, centred around the theme of ‘Because of her, we can’ (pictured: two works from the series)
The images show women cradling newborns, feeding them and nursing them, and celebrate the power of the woman, and specifically, the mother.
‘From time immemorial, Aboriginal culture is spirit and being, a connectedness to land, water, air and spirit from before birth until birthing,’ Ms Lockyer told FEMAIL.
‘The mother is in tune – song, dance, melody, art, creation. Woman, the carrier. Mother, the giver. Because of her – we can.’
The images have been shared in honour of Naidoc Week, a week of celebrations which are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The images show women cradling newborns, feeding them and nursing them, and have been shared in honour of Naidoc Week, which celebrates Aboriginal heritage
‘From time immemorial, Aboriginal culture is spirit and being, a connectedness to land, water, air and spirit from before birth until birthing,’ Ms Lockyer told FEMAIL
‘The mother is in tune – song, dance, melody, art, creation. Woman, the carrier. Mother, the giver. Because of her – we can,’ she said (pictured: one of the works)
Ms Lockyer also spoke to FEMAIL about her inspiration, work and life as a mother-of-four.
According to Ms Lockyer – who is based in Perth, Western Australia – while she was always into painting, art and graphic design, it wasn’t until she had her first child that she decided she wanted to do something ‘proper’ with regards to photography:
Ms Lockyer (pictured) first started taking photographs of her siblings as a child
‘When I was a kid I used to save up for disposable cameras to take photos of my siblings,’ the 31-year-old previously told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I’m the oldest of six kids and so growing up I always used to look after my brothers and sisters – I knew I wanted to go into something with children.’
When I had my first child, I invested in a DSLR camera and read up lots on photography,’ she said.
‘I started taking photos soon afterwards, and it wasn’t too long before my friends started saying I should charge for them.’
What sets Ms Lockyer’s stunning self-taught photography apart from traditional baby imagery is its cultural influence:
‘There is so much mainstream photography out there, but not much with any cultural significance,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘For me, it’s so important to take my photos because I feel that our culture is fading. In Australia, we learn a lot about other cultures, but don’t know so much about our own. I want to show the beauty in Aboriginal photography and heritage.
‘It is very important to me to keep our culture alive, to promote awareness and show how beautiful the traditions are,’ she continued.
‘I started taking photos soon afterwards, and it wasn’t too long before my friends started saying I should charge for them,’ she said of her self-taught rise to fame (pictured: one of her works)
‘There is so much mainstream photography out there, but not much with any cultural significance,’ Ms Lockyer explained (pictured: one of her works)
She also photographs pregnant women in the outback, such as this woman who mimics the Aboriginal flag (pictured)
When she comes up with an idea for a photo, the talented photographer said she will first ‘sketch it down’, before she writes ‘notes on my iPhone’ about how she’d like the photo shot.
At a shoot, Ms Lockyer said it can take anything from 30 minutes to hours to get ‘that shot’, but she added that once she has it, she knows instantly:
‘My kids inspire me and help me to come up with new ideas all the time
‘You just know, and then I can’t wait to get back to the editing room to finesse it,’ she said.
The 31-year-old’s personal favourite among her photos is an image taken of her son in an ‘Aboriginal bowl on the beach’:
‘My kids inspire me and help me to come up with new ideas all the time,’ she said. ‘I’m forever trying out new ideas on my children first.’
However, she added that often most people’s favourite is her image of a pregnant woman in a billowing red skirt with her pregnant stomach painted yellow:
‘She mimics the flag and I’ve had lots of compliments about that shot,’ she said.
While Ms Lockyer was always into painting, art and graphic design, it wasn’t until she had her first child that she decided she wanted to do something ‘proper’ with regards to photography (pictured: one of her works)
She has captured all sorts of babies and women, but this remains her favourite image (pictured)
‘My kids inspire me and help me to come up with new ideas all the time,’ she said. ‘I’m forever trying out new ideas on my children first’ (pictured: one of her works)
This image is one of the Perth-based photographer’s most popular images
When she comes up with an idea for a photo, the talented photographer said she will first ‘sketch it down’, before she writes ‘notes on my iPhone’ about how she’d like the photo shot (pictured: one of the new works)
Ms Lockyer wanted to convey the power of the woman in her new works (pictured)
‘It is very important to me to keep our culture alive, to promote awareness and show how beautiful the traditions are,’ Ms Lockyer said
At a shoot, Ms Lockyer said it can take anything from 30 minutes to hours to get ‘that shot’ (pictured with her children)
‘I continue to shoot and take images when inspiration comes in bursts,’ Ms Lockyer said
The talented photographer has released a calendar of some of her most popular images – and hopes to release a book in the future too
Elsewhere, Ms Lockyer’s photos give an insight into Indigenous culture and traditions.
The artist recently released a calendar filled with some of her most popular pictures, and she intends to release a book in the future, too.
‘I continue to shoot and take images when inspiration comes in bursts,’ Ms Lockyer said.
‘It’s hard because I’m a busy working mum. But my advice for anyone who wants to go into photography is to keep the inspiration going.’
Speaking previously, she added: ‘My children are my constant source of inspiration, the reason I love photography and the reason I get up every day. It definitely makes me proud of what I am doing.’
To find out more about Bobbi Lockyer’s photography, you can visit her website here. You can also follow her on Facebook here.