

What exactly was "The Farm" commune in the sixties?

I thought Stephen Gaskin was an honorable man trying to help young folks understand why any of us were personally going through these trying and experimental times of youth and unrest in the country.

Why photograph this community?
We used to run around San Francisco and just “shoot” and I learned how a street shooter could see, find and capture life’s stories with vision, skill and purpose.
This is what I brought to the community and I became a photojournalist for the community full time.

Photographing births is quite a different atmosphere, how did you navigate it?
During this time frame we were very strict about honoring the marriage vows and remaining loyal as husbands and wives. So along came hundreds of babies over the years, all delivered by women who became highly trained and trusted midwives.
Stephen Gaskin’s wife, Ina May Gaskin, started the The Farm’s home birth program out of necessity.
There were babies being delivered constantly and there had to be a support system with a pregnant woman’s clinic, a trained and 24-hour EMT and ambulance crew, and a local physician, Dr. Williams, who helped develop the protocol needed for handing so many deliveries.
We needed more documentation and ways to present what it was actually like to have a safe home birth.
Along with some of the women photographers, I attended the clinic on a regular basis to shoot the pregnant women’s coming for their exams during their terms.
I became a trusted person who could be a good observer, keep “my vibes” together, and be invisible at the birthing’s I was invited to.
We video-taped many births and edited and produced learning programs that went to teaching hospitals and midwifery centers around the world. The sales of the tapes supported our efforts and we did more of them over the years.


What was it like to capture such intimate spaces?
I felt privileged to be part of this team of women who could provide such a safe and loving environment.
I am just the messenger of what transpired over all the years that The Farm was a vibrant community with so many young families working and growing together.

