Kaia
Ten years ago, I became a mother to a spirited girl named Kaia. This project is an ongoing series of over 300 images captured since 2015. It is a lighthearted attempt to create a portrait of my little one without revealing her face. Instead, I focus on her environment and energetic nature, capturing the essence of Kaia in unposed moments through my smartphone—a “camera of circumstance.” The project arose naturally from my conflicting feelings about social media. Like many parents, I wanted to share parts of my daughter’s life, yet I found myself instinctively avoiding her face in photos shared online. This became a project of hiding—from algorithms, from unwarranted exposure. It has evolved into a visual diary that investigates the delicate balance between private and public. How much of Kaia can I reveal as a photographer and storyteller, and how much should I shield as a mother safeguarding her privacy and future autonomy?
