Kate Parker’s “Strong Is the New Pretty” series is ridiculously awesome.

Fearlessness. That’s what is captured in the photos Kate Parker takes of her daughters Ella, 9, and Alice, 6.

 

 

The photographer and mom of two first started snapping her girls several years ago, with the hope of teaching them that “Whatever you are…that’s okay.”

 

“My girls are strong, loud, crazy, silly,” Parker said. “As a mother and a photographer, I celebrate them.

 

 

 

Since she’s a former college-level soccer player, sports have always played a huge role in Kate’s life, a passion that she’s clearly passed on to her girls.

 

 

“There is so much emphasis on how we look that I love the opportunity to think about my body in terms of function,” the Atlanta mom explained. “Did it work? Did my legs run? Yes? Awesome!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photographer says her favorite image is of Ella before her first triathlon. Ella was nervous and unsure of herself, so Kate wanted to show her oldest how she looked through her mom’s eyes: “strong, confident, and completely badass.”

 

 

Says Kate: “There’s a lot of pressure for girls (and women) to look a certain way, act in a certain manner, and I wanted to let my daughters know that who they naturally are is enough.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see more of Kate’s incredible work, visit her website, or follow her on Instagram.