15/05/2025
Photographic Series Title: 𝑯𝒖𝒓𝒂!
𝑯𝒖𝒓𝒂! is a photographic series that captures the exhilarating bond between a Polish-born father and his Australian-born sons through the laughter filled game of being tossed high into the air. The title, the Polish word akin to the English word “Hurrah!”, is a battle cry traditionally used in Eastern European history symbolizing courage, defiance, and unity. In this context, "𝑯𝒖𝒓𝒂!" becomes a modern-day rallying cry of joy, strength, and trust between father and child.
Each time their father launches them skyward, he shouts “Hura!” — a sound now etched into their childhood memories as both a playful cheer and a call to courage. Set against the dramatic seascape of the South Australia's Southern Most Point, these photos explore that fleeting space between fear and delight, uncertainty and complete faith. Beyond their visual charm, these moments are supported by research that reveals the developmental importance of paternal play and how a father's act of naturally throwing their child into the air nurtures emotional resilience, risk tolerance, and psychological stability later in life. It builds an embodied sense of trust: “I can fall, and I will be caught.”
As their mother and photographer, I’ve witnessed how this joyful repetition has helped shape my sons into bold, grounded little people who rarely hesitate to take risks, recover from failure, and rise again and again.
The final image in the series, showing both boys with arms folded in playful mimicry of their father standing proudly behind them, captures the long-term imprint of this connection. It’s a portrait of growing independence and deep confidence built upon the foundation of love, play, trust and secure attachment.
𝑯𝒖𝒓𝒂! is a celebration of fatherhood, the psychology of play, and the legacy of joy passed from one generation to the next - quietly building resilient children ready to take flight.
