Danielle Sykes

Growing up in a tiny town nestled in the mountains of Northeastern Vermont, I was taught that being passionate about nature and adventure is a way of life. In my photography, I channel that same daring, curious spirit creating thoughtful imagery centered around life, home and travel. After a few years of Los Angeles living, I’ve settled with my husband, daughter and sweet pup on the coast of Southern Maine.

The Ocean and Agnes

I walked along the ocean’s edge two weeks after delivering my firstborn, Agnes. She was home with my husband. It was the first time I’d been without her. It seemed logical to say it was the first time we had spent apart in two weeks, but really it was the first time we had ever been separated. I had a sense that I knew her long before she was here, like she had always been a presence in my life.

I saw these boots in the day’s last light. I imagined they’d been taken off quickly as their owner rushed to meet the waves. This person might not even recall exactly where the boots were when they wished to be reunited. I wondered if I would lose my ability to be carefree to my new identity as a mother. Would my time always simply be one of two things – time spent with Agnes or time I wished I was with her? My world was different so suddenly. There would always be a line drawn in the course of my life – before I became her mother and all that was to come after.

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