There is something distinct about the relationship between a mother and her daughter.
It often begins in nearness.
A child leaning in without thinking.
A face turned upward for reassurance.
A body that still fits easily against hers.
But unlike some relationships, this one does not only move outward.
It changes, yes — but it also returns.
I have photographed mothers and daughters at many different stages of their lives.
Babies held against shoulders.
Young daughters climbing into their mothers.
Grown daughters standing beside them.
Mothers, daughters and grandmothers together.
What changes is the shape of the relationship.
What interests me is how often the physical language remains.
A hand reaches for a face.
An arm settles around a shoulder.
Two women lean towards one another without being asked.
A grown daughter still folds herself into her mother.
The daughter does not stop being the daughter.
These portraits are not built around matching clothes, props or an idea of what mothers and daughters are supposed to look like together.
Some are quiet.
Some are full of laughter.
Some hold three generations in one photograph.
What matters to me is what happens between the people in front of me.
The small gestures.
The familiarity.
And the way two people who have known each other for years occupy the same frame.
The relationship changes. The photograph keeps one moment of it.
JOHANNESBURG PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER
One Moment. One Portrait. Forever
© 2005–2026 Bridget Corke Photography
Blairgowrie · Johannesburg · South Africa
International Master's in Portrait Photography
One of only two in Africa.