A Mother Captures Timeless Images of Her Children Playing in the Ocean

After the birth of her first daughter in 2010, photographer Natalie Grono reentered the world of playgrounds and familiar landscapes from her own childhood. Growing up on the coast of New South Wales, the ocean setting seemed like a natural place to photograph her children for her series, Sea Dreaming.

Captured over the course of two years, Grono documented her daughters and family acquaintances at play in the sea and shore. The series is a celebration of childhood. The black and white images, inspired by the work of Mary Ellen Mark, Sebastiao Salgado and Henri Cartier-Bresson, bring a timeless and lyrical quality to the images. Grono explains, it was important for the work to represent a dreamscape.

She notes that Sally Mann’s Immediate Family was a major influence for her early on as a photographer. Ever since discovering Mann’s work, Grono has loved the idea of exploring childhood in natural environments, especially after having children of her own. “After becoming a mother I desired to reconnect to my inner child and revisit the familiar landscapes through those eyes,” she says. Her hope is that the viewer can revisit their own memories of play, childhood dreams and an intrinsic connection with the natural world.

All images © Natalie Grono

Discover More