Infocus: with photographer Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher Kidd
“We ask ourselves daily how we could be doing things better (easier)! And although we can make little shifts, tighten the way in which we operate as a unit, we’ve also learnt to surrender to the mess and the chaos that a full life brings. ”
Ilsa Wynne-Hoelscher Kidd is the eye behind the camera. A second-generation photographer Ilsa grew up in her father's darkroom, processing 35mm before the digital age. This old-world way of working is now what informs her current practice. A true artist, she can distil a thousand moments, making the madness of motherhood just well, beautiful. Personally, I first worked with her in 2021 when my daughter was only 15 months old and very much attached to my boobs. Images that I’ll treasure forever.
Originally from Queensland, Ilsa resides here in Naarm /Melbourne with her husband and daughter, Thea (4) and son Wolfgang (6). Ilsa always knew she would be a mother and when you ask her about her identity, she recognises it is always evolving. Ilsa is also hosting a professional workshop this Saturday at the Centre of Contemporary Photography for those who want to attend and expand their practice.
A true storyteller, this interview is one for the dreamers. If you ever want to hold onto some special memories with your little ones, Ilsa is your woman.
Tell us about your early childhood, was your father a huge influence in what you wanted to do as a career?
Subconsciously yes. As a young girl in the 80s and 90s I knew my life had to evolve around storytelling, originally manifesting my expression through performance. I loved the theatre, and I loved films. This has never changed and led me to fine arts at University. I spent my childhood on the sidelines of my parents’ creative endeavours and this certainly proved to me that this way of living and working can be unified and achievable. I inherited my father’s optimism and lust for life, and with that I was enchanted by his pursuits in photography - both on set, through his library of inspiration (spotlighting the greats in fashion and art photography), and in his darkroom at home. It was a captivating childhood, showcasing the world and the beginnings of what was on offer should one be tempted to walk down the creative path.
You have had the honour of witnessing and capturing birth. What’s it like capturing someone's birth? Is it hard not to be of service, especially to first-time mums?
I’ve had the absolute honour to be a part of many births, especially for my project and upcoming photobook ‘Twelve Moons’, which documents 12 Australian home births with the aim to widen our conversation and acceptance of natural birth through a documentary and socio-political lens. I am deeply moved by every birth I witness, admiring the raw and potent strength of a birthing woman bridging her baby to life on the ground. I’ve learnt that we all birth differently however we are all hand-in-hand through this universal and supremely natural course of events. I try to be as unobtrusive as possible, a fly on the wall, to hold space for that family. It’s a deep experience being a part of that welcomed birthing team, and I take it with great responsibility and if the rapport is fluid within that cycle of birth - in those fragile and vulnerable moments - I do often share my support through my energy, warmth of expression, sometimes through a relatable moment or passing on lived experience and woman to woman comfort.
Three words to describe your birth.
Explosive, expansive, equilibria.
Let’s talk hustle. You are your partner and are both creatives (your partner being a musician), how do you make it work with two kids?
We ask ourselves daily how we could be doing things better (easier)! And although we can make little shifts, tighten the way in which we operate as a unit, we’ve also learnt to surrender to the mess and the chaos that a full life brings. The hustle is real. I choose to lean into that, rather than fight against it or try endlessly to change it. We work very hard at what we do in life, and this seems to keep things ticking over in a family-household sense. But without the dedication to hard work and full time juggling, it wouldn’t be sustainable in these hard economic times. I’m so very grateful for the support I receive from Andy, behind the scenes, at home, and cheering me on with my ambitions and endeavours. We hope our efforts are admired by our kids, that it teaches them resilience, and something greater about life than an all-comfort, strict-routine way of life would, which simply isn’t us.
Do you bring your kids to work or on shoots? Do they love being a part of your work process?
My children have always been welcome at my work, and often within my work. I have dedicated a personal archive to my motherhood experience with them, ‘Slipping’, which they’ve had a huge impact on the image-making of this work and it has strengthened our bonds and experiences together. I find motherhood the most encompassing, guttural, grief-stricken daily experience whilst also being the deepest happiness I’ve known. They are with me everyday, even when they are not. My work no matter the content is inspired by them, as they have made me who I am today - which affects the way I see and digest the world (and what’s in front of my lens).
Do you feel like creativity and matrescence are inextricably linked?
Matrescence has powered me creatively, especially when I first became a mother - I had a huge need to communicate and express. I believe motherhood strengthens your belief in yourself, awakening an undeniable force once focus and drive is applied. Motherhood teaches you to learn, to accept, to evolve, to do better. The conversations with yourself and within your world are endless. This is all of course linked to your creativity. Outside of artistry, creativity is in the way we develop and function within human experiences, we undeniably need both sides of our brains with our daily tasks and challenges no matter what they are. Matrescence definitely strengthens this capacity.
You nurture two kids every day. What makes you feel nurtured?
Time and space. Room to breathe and to think. Movement. Touch - it’s part of feeling recognised and appreciated. Music feeds my soul and sparks ideas (even when I’m not searching for them, so this can be counter-nurturing sometimes as well).
An ideal weekend looks like…
A lazy schedule involving family, good food and wine, art appreciation, and play. Plus a sleep in.
A female inspiration, old or new, that informs your artistry.
Carolee Schneemann is an iconic American experimental multi-media artist known for her feminism and confronting works from the 60s, who is a (new) inspiration I’ve recently come across and am diving into. My everyday female inspiration is my mother. My understanding of womanhood was shown to me through her ways and my admiration of her character and might, has been with me since day dot. At times I feel I live in her shadow for her sense of self is enviable, however for the most part we walk side by side in our own ways grounded in self and complimentary to one another’s shared experience as women in this world, and as mother and daughter.
Can you tell our readers what a motherhood portrait session entails.
Although I work full time in fashion and commercial photography and filmmaking, I do still offer private commissions and portraiture (work where I began shooting) - with a large archive and personal attachment to motherhood photography. My sessions are intimate and paced according to subject energy and needs, however in general I’m with you for an hour or two - ultimately due to my way of working, which is interactive and a flow is kept moving. I don’t like to force anything, I also don’t like anything too static or stagnant, for my work lives in the realm of organic documentation, and the‘in-between’. I will assist you with the planning of our shoot - that is; what you hope to capture, the surroundings and/or styling, and the logistics. I work with analogue and digital, and aim to capture my subjects true to how I see the moment, unique to them and their relationship, and within my artistic style represented across my work, often with a slight editorial approach to particular compositions and set ups. Once the session is complete, finals are delivered in a digital gallery that can be used for web or print.
Follow Ilsa’s journey here:
https://www.instagram.com/ilsa_whk/
https://ccp.org.au/event/ilsa-wynne-hoelscher-kidd-one-day-workshop/