30 Weeks Pregnant
Merging her young self as an Iowa native and her current self as a pregnant New York mama, Redman portrays herself among horses and animals she grew up around and feels extremely close to. However, to maintain her city-ness, she rocks big earrings, a slip dress, and a cool, confident demeanor.
Danielle embodies sensuality, womanhood, and motherhood all at once. As a model, her artistic vision is very much so informed by that experience, while her photographic eye is influenced by her years modeling.
Check out our conversation below.
What inspired you to create this series?
I mean, I grew up with horses, and I’ve been riding since I was 5. I always connect really well with horses, I love horses. One day, I just had this visualization of, like, you know, I’m really pregnant… and me, on a horse, in the water, like I don’t know why, in a pink dress. It all just like… there it was. I had to get it out of my head, so I had to shoot it until it… you know what I’m saying? And I’m a farm girl, country, but also very New York, ‘cause I’ve been here for, like, 18 years. So kind of the meshing of the two—the merge. Who I am now to who I was as a little girl.
How did you mesh those two sides of you in these images?
With the nails, with the big hat… I’m from Iowa, and, you know, you don’t do anything too crazy. So like, just kinda keeping to my true self, so like, a crop top—people don’t really wear it, it’s more conservative, so I was a little bit more edgy in that sense.
What feeling does it evoke to you as the creator, and what feeling do you think they might evoke in the viewer?
I’m really critical of myself in every way possible. I see a photo I’ve taken, or that I’m in, or a photo that I’ve created, and in every aspect I always look deeper and reevaluate everything. So it took me a while to digest everything. But they are, I think, really beautiful. Super serene, peaceful, majestic… you know? Also I think it really shows a woman and womanhood. The transformation; this is my first time being a mother, so I’m going through this whole transformation, and I think it really shows that.
That’s beautiful.
And then, I guess it’s up to the viewer how they see it. Everyone has their own input, point of view, how they read it. I think that’s the beautiful thing about art and everything. You put something out there, and however someone sees it, it’s like, Oh wow, I didn’t see it that way, but that’s really cool!
How were you trying to present yourself as the model, and as a photographer, did that affect how it turned out?
Yeah, I guess I’m always, like, critiquing. You know? But I think I’ve been doing both for so long, that I’m used to playing both roles. And I think both roles help me in both positions.
Do you think one informs the other more? Does being a photographer inform your modeling more or vice versa? Or is it equal?
I haven’t really thought about it, but being a model-turned-photographer, you definitely have more of an insight on how you wanna be looked at, spoken to, treated like a human rather than just an object, so I definitely have that point of view. But I think… hmm… that’s a really good question. I think it’s pretty equal. So far, anyways, it definitely feels equal because they definitely both help each other.
They kind of flow into one another?
Yeah, and I’ve learned a lot from being both—from the angles, to the poses...
Yeah, I could see that. How long have you been modeling?
I’ve always loved images, I always thought it was really powerful. Since I was little, I had a matching dress with my doll, and I was like, Mom, take my photo! I always had her taking my photo, like with my dog, or with whatever. I think kids, I don’t know why we love that. How you take it from there is how you take it from there. I’ve gone all over the world, and kids are always intrigued, like, Take my photo! Now let me see it! I think it’s a natural thing. But I’ve been officially modeling since I was 14… A really long time.
That’s young! So when did you move into photography?
I mean, same thing, I’ve always played with it. I’ve always been taking photos, I love imagery, I’m always taking photos of stuff. But it’s evolved a lot. Like, I was looking back at photos from ten years ago and I was like, What was I taking a photo of? That’s horrible! You know? But I think once you start looking at your work and critiquing it, you can really learn and grow faster. And that’s a really important role that I never was doing in the work.
What has pregnancy been like during the pandemic?
Wild. Super wild. I’m having a homebirth, so my midwives are really into keeping your distance, and I’m also really into keeping my distance. It might just be a fluke thing, it might be super serious; we really don’t know what this whole thing is, and, like, Mama Bear definitely came out, like Grrr, I’m super protective of this little child inside me. So, it’s been really lonely. There’s definitely been lonely moments, you know, my family’s back in Iowa, so I don’t get to share that with them at all. Even friends, they don’t get to touch the belly or see the growth, so it gets kinda sad. My body hurts so I was like, you know, I really want a massage, but you can’t do basic things like that. You know, now you can, but you couldn’t do basic things like that for the longest time. Luckily, I can get pedicures now, and it’s nice ‘cause I can’t really touch my toes!
Perfect!
It’s so wild! It’s such a funny thing! But it’s also been a really big blessing, ‘cause I get to just focus on this baby, and it brings me a lot of joy. So every time there are hardships happening in the world or in my life, I can always focus on this little happy… Like, the baby will move, and I’m like, oh yeah, that’s my happiness.
That’s so sweet! Is there anything else you wanna say about "30 Weeks Pregnant"?
I always think it’s really fun to have an idea, create it, dream up something, and then bring it to life. Making it come to life is really satisfying.
Did it come out just how you hoped, or did your vision change along the way?
I really love the team that I chose. The photographer, she’s super creative, and I love her vision. So I really put it in her hands. We kinda came together, like, I had this idea, and then she came forward with a bunch of ideas as well, so it was really nice collaborating. The nail girl, she was really great as well to bring in a different type of art. It was slightly different than what I thought, but not really. It was just more majestic, kind of, serene, movie style. It looks more like a movie.
How did the collaboration go? Why did you bring this specific photographer on and how did she take your vision and execute it?
Well the photographer, I’ve known her for a while, and I’ve loved her work; she does video as well, and it’s really beautiful. Super feminine and soft and deep. There’s a lot more depth to it rather than just a beautiful image, so I knew it was gonna be more powerful than just that. She’s super talented and comes with a lot of experience. So bringing her on was easy, and when I told her about it, she was like, Oh my God, I’d be so honored, please, yes! She was super excited to be part of this moment and share this moment. She definitely brought a lot to the table.
Where were the photos taken?
It’s, like, two hours upstate, it’s called Amenia, New York. I went up there before and I’d been talking to the lady for a while, and I rode there once. Then, literally, like, I had the idea, and right after she posted a photo, like, that’s where Beyonce used to ride horses! I was like, I thought it was my secret! She stole my secret!
Are you excited to one day show your baby these photos?
Definitely! ‘Cause that was the first horse ride my baby had! You know? It was kinda beautiful, ‘cause, have you rode before?
Yeah, I have.
So, you know how… it’s meditative. It’s really peaceful. You kinda just go on this little journey. Also, it was stormy that day, like really stormy, and there was this energy in the air, and the horses really feel that. So there was excitement but also calmness. I’m also really calm on horses, so it was really cool to let the baby feel the energy through me. The baby didn’t move at all! I was like, You’re so enjoying this! I love it.
I love that, that’s so cute. I’m excited for you. Thank you so much!
Thank you!!
