Merry Ohler, Kansas City’s award-winning, published storytelling photographer, shares some of her favorite “Mama” work, highlighting beautiful, strong mothers.

you can't hear me, but i'm clapping for you. isn't new life gorgeous on these mamas? next, click through to view some perfect, precious Tinies or view some of the most in love real life couples you've ever seen.

babies

couples

Why is it that when I am absolutely, completely swamped, I completely neglect all my social channels? Well, believe me when I tell you that March was allllll about the mamas.

So. Many. Mamas.

Can't wait to share ALL the mama-love with you, but my editing queue is more than a little intimidating tonight, so the next few posts will have to tide you over for a bit.
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Show this superhero mama and her cubs a little love, then tag a mama (or a few mamas) you know and love who would like a Starbucks gift card! I'll draw the winner on Saturday!
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#rawmotherhood #portrait_mood #momentslikethese #everysquareastory #motherhoodunplugged #motherhoodslens #lemonadeandlenses #letthembekids #letthekids #dearstoryteller #hellostoryteller #cultivatemotherhood #motherhoodthroughig #thisismotherhood #motherhoodjourney #kansascity #igkc #igkansascity #mymotherhood #midwestmama

No matter what stage of life we may be facing, we would have to be crazy to claim that there isn’t an unspoken internal pressure to compare where we are in our lives with those who we perceive as running similar races to our own.

Am I working as hard at this as she is? I don’t have any inspirational posts to share from snowy fields or the Grand Canyon. My plate pics look like a toddler threw something on the floor, then stomped on it. Maybe I’m actually horrible at this.

Do I spend as much time doing crafts with my little ones as I should? I’d like to when I see her crafty shares, but I’m also pretty sure her kids have never tried to jump off the kitchen table and fly using only two popsicle sticks. Why are my kids so much more wild?

Look at her kitchen! Gorgeous. How is she caught up on dishes? She has a bajillion kids and a business! Amazing! Wait, should I be caught up on the dishes? The house is quiet for the first time in eight hours, and all I really want is to sip this cold coffee and veg, but I should probably tackle that beast.

Those kids look like tiny models! ...should I be fighting my two year old to put his pants on for the 174th time? Her kids are never sans pants.

That salad is on point! ...is it okay that I’m making the same thing for dinner, again? Because I’m starting to wonder if my three year old could actually turn INTO a chicken nugget, but she just won’t touch anything else right now.

They are the cutest couple! Look at how adorable they are on their date night! ...I literally can’t even remember the last time I had a date night. What is wrong with me?

Friends. Loves.

We need to stop. Just stop. We are doing ourselves, and those who look up to and follow us, a great disservice.

The things being shared on social media are highly curated, picture perfect snapshots of the way we think we want our lives to look, and it isn’t good for us.

If that narrative resonates with you today? Choose differently. Unfollow, hide, do whatever you need to do.

But do something about it. Insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting a different outcome.

Hey there. I’m Merry.

I’m glad you’re here. I never really know quite what to say in these things, because honestly? Authenticity in social media feels kinda like an oxymoron to me most days, but I try to keep it real anyway.

I’m a multi-passionate creative, which for me, translates to being a storytelling photographer and filmmaker, educator, writer, and author.

But first and foremost, I’m a pursuer, worshiper & disciple of Jesus, wife to my best friend, & mama to our littles. I could probably write a whole host of other titles here (because y’all? My inherited & chosen fam is B I G.), but those three are the roles that come first, always.

Over the past couple of months, I have embarked on a wellness journey toward whole health - physical, emotional, mental & spiritual. (@merrygetsstronger) And can I tell you that it’s so good and also full of ALL the emotions? Life change is big stuff, friends.

What has your focus been so far this year?

The new normal looks beautiful on these three, doesn’t it?

#morningslikethese #morningslikethis #bigsister #momoftwo #freshbaby

I remember the first time I saw Becca so clearly. She was this impossibly beautiful, shining woman with the most brilliant smile and the voice of an angel.

It has been a privilege to get to know her over the past several years, and when she reached out to ask me to photograph her bump in the snow, I was thrilled! It was such a joy to document this time for her as she and her sweet husband eagerly await the arrival of their baby.

Isn’t she stunning? Give her some love if you agree!

#portrait_mood #maternityfashion #maternitystyle 💄@hennapearlmakeup

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

#rawmotherhood #motherhoodslens #motherhoodjourney

Something different.
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#naturallightportrait #silhouettecameo #portraitstream

“But the last one: the baby who trails her scent like a flag of surrender through your life when there will be no more coming after - oh, that's love by a different name.

She is the babe you hold in your arms for an hour after she's gone to sleep.

If you put her down in the crib, she might wake up changed and fly away.

So instead you rock by the window, drinking the light from her skin, breathing her exhaled dreams.

Your heart bays to the double crescent moons of closed lashes on her cheeks.

She's the one you can't put down.” | Barbara Kingsolver

#rawmotherhood #motherhoodquotes #documentaryphotographer

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Merry Ohler is a published, award-winning storytelling photographer in Kansas City, serving the greater Midwest and beyond. Along with weddings and elopements, she offers emotive documentary motherhood portraits (including maternity, birth and newborn photography), as well as documentary family photography. Merry also specializes in corporate event and commercial photography. Merry resides in Kansas City with her husband, Jamie, three little ones (5 and under!) and entirely too many Legos.