How To Make A Baby Across The Pacific

How to Make Baby Across the Pacific
This is the best book I’ve made.

We were pregnant (mostly just Lacy) in 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. At the time, Australia had really strict lockdowns, which meant I was stuck in Sydney until just one month before Daniel was born. Lacy did everything on her own until I finally made it over. It was a really hard time—feeling helpless and watching my baby grow in my partner’s belly through FaceTime.

Early on, I decided to document the whole pregnancy the only way I could: by photographing our FaceTime calls straight off my laptop screen. Not ideal, but we made it work. I had a few film cameras at home—my digital setup was stuck at work—so once or twice a month I’d grab whichever one was nearby and take a photo of Lacy’s belly against a white wall.

What came out of that was a lo-fi, mixed-up series of photos, shot on different film stocks and formats. It wasn’t planned or polished, but it turned out to be really beautiful. I pulled them all together into a book as a Christmas gift for Lacy that year.

Most of the page spreads are below. The last few photos are real-life—taken after I finally made it to the States. To get there, I needed special permission from the Australian government to leave the country, and when I came back, I had to do two weeks of hotel quarantine without my partner and brand new son. That part sucked.

Looking back, it’s a good story—but not one I’d ever want to repeat. Still, we made it through. And now we all live together, happily, in the U.S.