Congratulations to Alpha Female + grant winner Tenley Clark. Tenley will be creating a series of cinemagraphs that she’s titled, "Under the Weather." The images will focus on the challenges and rewards of being a mother. “For this series I want to create visuals of a mother going through the daily menial tasks of parenthood,” she explains, “while literally, and figuratively, under the weather. The weather representing the various struggles we face like depression, anxiety and illness.” 

For Tenley, the project as truly personal. As a young mother, she is completely devoted to her children. “You've probably heard the saying that there are no sick days for parents, particularly mothers,” she says. “It’s a 24 hour a day, seven day a week job to be a parent, and while it’s unbelievably rewarding, it can come with sacrifices in terms of our own needs, our health, both mental and physical, and our dreams. And even when we suffer or struggle, we cannot show it. We cannot simply rest, though we need it. We have to push through for our children. This has never been more true than now during a pandemic when parents have to wear even more hats with little to no help.”

To bring the project to life, Tenley chose a unique medium, cinemagraphs. Cinemagraphs are a hybrid between a still frame and a video clip. Each cinemagraph has a piece that is in motion while other areas in the frame are static. The best cinemagraphs make the viewer momentarily lose their orientation between still and motion. They can be as surprising as they are alluring to see. 

She explains her choice, “Because weather is a moving force, I will be creating these images as cinemagraphs to best showcase that. For the styling of the series I will be using vintage elements to convey the idea that this is a tale as old as time and a struggle that parents have endured for decades.” 

See more about making cinemagraphs HERE and HERE and a What's In My Bag for cinemagraphs HERE.