Crushing on: Christie MacLean’s “Ghost Mother” Pet PortraitsGGC Issue 4 contributo
Crushing on: Christie MacLean’s “Ghost Mother” Pet Portraits
GGC Issue 4 contributor (see: “Bukonzo Joint”) and Portland-based photographer, Christie MacLean, has a new photo project we’re pretty enamored with. Based on Victorian era “Ghost Mother” portraits: a uniquely odd type of photography owed to low emulsion sensitivity and lengthy exposure times–it was nearly impossible to capture a child sitting still. So the 19th century work around was to “hide” the mothers behind fabric, rugs, chairs to comfort the child and attempt to hold them still.
![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/81bfb569bc7eadbddb920c3d830dcf60/tumblr_inline_o96itvUXHZ1qz54y8_540.jpg)
Christie’s modern take on the “Ghost Mother”photos:
“I’ve been wanting to do a pet portrait project for some time now but wasn’t quite sure how to proceed until I started looking at ghost mother photography and realized this was a great way to capture not only the pet, but the relationship between the pet and owner.”
![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/a5e1bc0ee5ad99d5ff4ab84e10d0dd6e/tumblr_inline_o96iudvlLu1qz54y8_540.jpg)
Christie is a New Englander at heart but lives on the West Coast. She is a photographer that never has a properly working camera. She is always scheming up new travel plans, looking for swim spots and drinking coffee with friends.
![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c07652a1d4c3f7bc04362f6c992e03a7/tumblr_inline_o96ionofup1qz54y8_540.jpg)
Check out more of her work over at @christiemacleanand christiemaclean.tumblr.com
Wed, 22 Jun 2016 11:25:40