Lisa Sorgini: Photography Exploring Motherhood and Family Life

Lisa Sorgini, born in 1980 in Adelaide, Australia, came to photography after studying fine art and working in winemaking. She is now based in northern New South Wales and has built her career around personal documentary work, particularly since becoming a mother. Her breakthrough series Behind Glass (2020), shot during lockdown, brought international attention by capturing mothers and children through windows. Her images often have a soft, painterly quality with gentle colours and an intimate feel that draws you in.

• Primary Genres: Fine Art, Portrait Photography
• Primary Photography Style: Straight photography with expressive, intimate qualities – contemporary colour work that feels both direct and emotionally layered
• Key Message: Sorgini uses photography to explore the realities of motherhood, caregiving, and family life. She captures the beauty, challenges, and emotional complexity of domestic experiences, giving visibility to aspects of maternal life that are often overlooked or romanticised. Her work connects personal stories to broader themes of interdependence and human connection.

Her most common subjects are her own children, other mothers, and everyday domestic scenes—quiet moments of care, play, and family interaction. You’ll notice soft natural light from windows, shallow depth of field that creates closeness, and a colour palette of warm ochres, pinks, and cool tones that adds emotional warmth. She shoots primarily digital (Canon cameras are part of her kit) with prime lenses for intimacy, relying on available light rather than strobes. In editing, she uses Lightroom to adjust contrast, lift shadows, and enhance mood without over-processing, keeping the images feeling natural.

She has published monographs including Behind Glass (Libraryman) and the more recent In-Passing. For intermediate photographers, her approach shows how personal work can be powerful—turning your own life into long-term projects that evolve over years. While she works digitally for flexibility, the influence of painting and film aesthetics is clear in her framing and colour handling. It’s a good reminder that strong storytelling often comes from slowing down and photographing what you know best.

Lessons from this Photographer:

Lisa demonstrates that turning the camera on your own life can create deeply resonant work—start with what’s closest to you. She shows the value of natural light and simple setups for intimacy; try using window light and prime lenses to get closer to your subjects without intrusion. Her editing style teaches restraint: enhance mood and colour but keep the honesty of the moment. Overall, she encourages photographers to embrace the messy realities of life rather than only showing the highlights. This mindset can lead to more authentic and meaningful images, whether you’re documenting family or other personal themes.

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