MediaStorm

Maggie Steber was an only child. Madje Steber was a single parent. They were all the family they had and it wasn't easy.

Madje divorced when Maggie was only six months old. Strong and independent, Madje raised her daughter in the small Texas town of Electra, near the Oklahoma border. She had a keen awareness of what others might be thinking of a young single mother at a time when that was often viewed as a scarlet letter. Their tiny house had strict rules and a formality that rubbed Maggie the wrong way, especially during her teenage years. Their relationship was strained with arguments and threats to move out. At the age of twenty-one, Maggie finally did.

"I wanted to leave, I had to leave," Maggie says. "I went to New York to find my fortune, and there I found it."

That fortune was as an internationally acclaimed photojournalist. She covered everything from fashion to war and completed stories in 62 different countries. She worked routinely for National Geographic, was the Director of Photography for the Miami Herald and taught at various universities and workshops.

As the years passed and Madje grew older, her memory began to fade. Maggie tried to help, but her busy career kept her away from Texas. She was only was able to visit a few times year. To this day, Maggie wonders if she did enough for her aging mother. Eventually it became apparent, Madje had dementia.

The disease proved relentless and Madje could not live alone anymore. Maggie was faced with an issue that more and more Americans must deal with as the massive baby-boomer population grows older. Maggie moved her mother to Miami to care for her. "This is my last chance to do it right," Maggie says.

Over the next few years, Maggie turned her professional eye on her own life, documenting Madje's life in an assisted living facility. The images speak to the pain of loss, the complexities of a mother-daughter relationship and the fragility of life. They reveal beauty in a liberation from the roles Maggie and Madje had learned to play as mother and daughter. They speak to both the harsh and humorous realities of life with a diminished parent and contain lessons for all of us as we face these issues in our own lives.

"This body of work is the most important one I have ever done," says Maggie, "and will ever do. It's Madje's story, but really and truly, it's my story."

Published: June 11th, 2012

Caption
Slide 1 of 21
Madje Steber with her new baby girl
Madje Steber holds her new baby daughter, Margaret, in Electra, Texas a few months after the baby was born in 1950. Margaret, now called Maggie as a grown woman, became a photographer and photographed Madje after she fell into memory loss.
    7f89b736-263a-423f-babf-dbbf7f7bb4d5
    ec3b24d6-34e1-4857-9647-2d7ac03e220b
    b61fb65c-35ab-445d-bffa-50d789a3606a
    5c5e2d4c-e0d4-4d28-a42f-e4161a428559
    5dd66ab2-c0d2-48a0-9d67-8559dbe4c413
    5dcf81d0-3c72-4d2c-a730-de2ad69237be
    bab14782-a5fa-47e9-9fe0-73dfe36f3472
    e4b4b08f-70b4-4aa6-a301-df15a425fd07
    51311262-c3e2-449b-bd5a-42594eba3424
    07bc63e6-3cd1-41d1-a953-48d41a96da70

    Credits

    A Film By
    Photography & Video
    Director & Executive Producer
    Editor & Producer
    Associate Producer
    Associate Producer

    Additional Video and Photography

    Catherine Spangler

    Annie Etheridge

    Alexandra Avakian


    Recognition

    Webby

    Year: 2013

    Place: Honoree

    Category: Documentary: Individual Episode

    FotoWeek DC International

    Year: 2012

    Place: Honorable Mention

    Category: Multimedia


    Purchase


    Related Links


    Press


    Kickstarter Supporters

    Adam Coggins

    AJ Maclean

    Al Alford

    Alex Kolyer

    Alex Martinelli

    Alice Gabriner

    Amanda Lucier

    Andrew Nachison

    Andy Kropa

    Annette Rose-Shapiro

    Annie Tritt

    Ari Espay

    Asim Rafiqui

    Audrie Lawrence

    Aviette

    Bear Guerra

    Beatriz Jean Wallace

    Beth Caldwell

    Big Apple Mike

    Bob Krist

    Bonnie Kroll

    Caleb Bryant Miller

    Candace West

    Carlos Rene Perez

    Cath Spangler

    Catherine McIntosh

    cbarbot

    China Jorrin

    Chris Harris

    Chris Thompson

    Ciara Leeming

    Cindy Seip

    Cynthia Henebry

    D Richards

    Danica

    Daniel D'Auria MD

    David Bergman

    David Breslauer

    David Naugle

    Deanna Ng

    Deanne Fitzmaurice

    Deirdre Lovell

    Diana Greene

    Diane Stredicke

    Ed Kashi

    Elizabeth Krist

    Ellen Jacob

    Ellen Robertson Green

    Ellis Vener

    Elsa Dorfman

    Erika Gentry

    Ernesto Bazan

    Eva Wollenberg

    Evonne Benedict

    Francesca

    Gabriela Hasbun

    Gail Desautels

    Gesi Schilling

    Gina Martin

    Ginger Vela

    Healthy Rainforest Ltd.

    Heather Walsh

    Hilary Langford

    HoppingFun

    Ileana Oroza

    J. Michael Short

    Jack Kurtz

    Jacky Myint

    James Nubile

    James Virga

    Jeff Jacobson

    Jenny Dubin

    Jenny Lynn Walker

    Jesse Neider

    Jessey Dearing

    Joan Gordon

    Joe Faraoni

    John Chunhan Liau

    John Trotter

    John Van Beekum

    Jose Iglesias

    Josef Astor

    Josh Meltzer

    Joshua Prezant

    Joy Howard

    Judy Walgren

    Juli Almer

    Julie Winokur

    Justin Leighton

    K.S.Kuperis

    Kaloian Doganov

    Kate Manning

    Katherine Brooks

    Kathleen Tyler Conklin

    Kathryn Cook

    Kathryn Obermaier

    Keith Harper

    Kelly Heisler

    Kendall Messick

    Keri Pickett

    Kerry Payne

    KJ Wetherholt

    Krisanne Johnson

    Kurt Lengfield

    Lara Neel

    Larry Levin

    Larry Yung

    Laura Epstein

    Lilian Haidar

    Lisa Krantz

    Lise Metzger

    Liza Politi

    Lois Raimondo

    Luceo Images

    Lynda Forman

    Magnus Westerborn

    Margaret Cheatham Williams

    Mariauxy Castillo-Vitale

    Marie Claire Andrea

    Mariella Furrer

    Marina Cappelletto

    Mark Wexler

    Marta Martinez-Aleman

    Martin Gisborne

    Mary Barone

    MaryAnne Golon

    Matt Detrich

    Max Batsyn

    Mervyn Leong

    MHB | Dallas Arts Salon

    Michael Carlebach

    Michael Wichita

    Michelle Frankfurter

    Miki Johnson

    Milla Makelainen

    Mo

    Monica Almeida

    Monica Rhor

    Nacho Corbella

    Najlah Feanny Hicks

    Nancy Murrell

    Neil Gorman

    Neil Meyerhoff

    Nina Berman

    Nina Doran

    Noelle Theard

    Nubar & Abby Alexanian

    Orestes Gonzalez

    Oscar Schwellenbach

    Pamela Yates

    Patrick Tombola

    Paul Moakley

    Peter DiCampo

    R. Clayton McKee

    Rachelle Nones

    Raphael-Wolfgang

    Rarecoinman

    Raul R Rubiera

    Richard Beaven

    Richard Patterson

    Ron Haviv

    Roxine Grant

    Russ Lapso

    Sacha Lecca

    SalaamGarage NYC

    Sam Heiman

    Sandra Chen Weinstein

    Sarah Putnam

    Scott Lewis

    Shane Williams

    Shawn G. Henry

    Stella Kalaw

    Steve Winter

    Sue Morrow

    Susan Papazian

    Susan Stanfield

    Tamara Abdul Hadi

    Tanya Tull

    Tatiana Plotnikova

    Tech Avengers

    The Odyssey Initiative

    Todd Weinstein

    Toni Greaves

    Totoro

    Tracy Whitcomb

    W Blaine Pennington

    Wendy R. Walter

    William Campbell

    Yunghi Kim

    Zoraida Diaz

    Zun Lee


    MediaStorm Project Showcase

    Back from the Brink

    Once teetering on the brink of extinction, the Santa Catalina Island Fox made a dramatic recovery. Its resurgence marks one of the greatest conservation success stories in United States history.

    Lights in the Shadows

    In the shadow of Silicon Valley’s booming technology industry, a growing number of people remain out in the cold. Skyrocketing housing prices in America’s hub of innovation have pushed many onto the streets, straining policymakers to find solutions to a homelessness problem that impacts everyone in the community.

    Zora J Murff

    This page recognizing Zora J Murff for ICP’s 2023 Infinity Award for Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism features a film about his life, a slideshow of his projects and extra clips of his thoughts about his work and motivation.

    Sebastião Salgado

    Sebastião Salgado says "a good picture, a fantastic picture, you do in a fraction of a second, but to arrive to do this picture, you must put your life in there."

    Esther Horvath

    Esther Horvath has sent questions to the universe and she has received answers. She found her calling to tell visual stories that show the full research story behind our climate data.

    Acacia Johnson

    See photographer Acacia Johnson’s growth from her earliest explorations of Alaskan landscapes to a National Geographic cover for a documentary project among indigenous people of the Arctic.

    Don McCullin

    Sir Don McCullin never intended to become a photographer. He found it hard to believe he’d ever escape the poverty of North London. But a spur of the moment photograph launched McCullin into a career spanning 50 years in photography.

    The War Comes Home

    As the U.S. prepares for the final drawdown of soldiers from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Soledad O’Brien and MediaStorm take an intimate look at two veterans as they struggle with the transition from war to home.

    Zadie Smith

    Writer Zadie Smith pays homage to photographer Deana Lawson in the artist’s first Monograph for Aperture.

    Fight Hate with Love

    As a formerly incarcerated person, Michael struggled for work, and found purpose in being a husband, father, and activist. But 7 years since his release from prison, the cost of Michael’s activism is evident.

    The American-Made Benny

    Benny is a “certified” garbologist. He collects what others throw away. Benny is also at war with his family. Here is a man sharing a house with his wife but living as a stranger. This is a household on the edge.

    Amber Bracken

    Photographer Amber Bracken recognized something deeper than a protest was afoot when hundreds of tribes gathered at the Standing Rock reservation in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

    A Shadow Remains

    How does the death of a child change a parent? How does the death of a parent change a child? How do these moments change us as we develop and grow further away from who we were as children?

    Maurice Berger

    Maurice Berger–cultural historian, and columnist for the New York Times’ Race Stories–has spent his career studying and teaching racial literacy through visual literacy. 

    Japan's Disposable Workers

    Japan’s Disposable Workers examines the country’s employment crisis: from suicide caused by overworking, to temporary workers forced by economics to live in internet cafes, and the elderly who wander a town in search of shelter and food.

    Karl Ove Knausgaard

    Karl Ove Knausgaard is the celebrated author of a massive six-volume autobiography. But Knausgaard remains confused by the attention. This is a portrait of a man who has achieved massive success yet still considers himself unworthy.

    The Last Move

    Michael Thomasson has devoted his life to video games. It’s been his passion and his obsession for more than three decades. He owns over 11,000 unique game titles for more than 100 different systems.

    Michael Christopher Brown

    A film about Michael Christopher Brown for the 2017 ICP Infinity Awards.

    The Long Night

    The Long Night, a feature film by Tim Matsui and MediaStorm, gives voice and meaning to the crisis of minors who are forced and coerced into the American sex trade.

    Jonathan Harris & Gregor Hochmuth

    Jonathan Harris and Greg Hochmuth have a complicated relationship with the internet and have worked together to develop an artwork that explored some of the more difficult consequences of what it means to live with the internet.

    Inside Tracks

    In 1977, Robyn Davidson walked 1,700 miles across the Australian outback. National Geographic sent Rick Smolan to photograph her perilous journey—a trek that tested and transformed them, forming an immutable bond that continues to this day.

    Driftless: Stories from Iowa

    Once at the center of the U.S. economy, the family farm now drifts at its edges. In Iowa, old-time farmers try to hang on to their way of life, while their young push out to find their futures elsewhere. Driftless tells their stories.

    Common Ground

    The American family farm gives way to a subdivision - a critical cultural shift across the U.S. Common Ground is a 27-year document of this transition, through the Cagwins and the Grabenhofers, two families who love the same plot of land.

    Remember These Days

    For Walter Backerman, seltzer is more than a drink. It’s the embodiment of his family. As a third generation seltzer man, he follows the same route as his grandfather. But after 90 years of business, Walter may be the last seltzer man.

    Art: Larry Fink

    Larry Fink has spent over 40 years photographing jazz musicians, wealthy manhattanites, his neighbors, fashion models, and the celebrity elite. His archive is a thoughtful collection of American history, and Fink’s experience of it.

    LaToya Ruby Frazier

    LaToya Ruby Frazier’s body of work “The Notion of Family” examines the impact of the steel industry and the health care system on the community and her family. Collaborating with her mother and grandmother, she uses her family as a lens to view the past, present and future of the town.

    Tomas van Houtryve

    Tomas Van Houtryve wants there to be a permanent visual record of the dawn of the drone age, the period in American history when America started outsourcing their military to flying robots. In order to create this record, Van Houtryve sent his own drone into American skies.

    Evgenia Arbugaeva

    Evgenia Arbugaeva was born in the magical town of Tiksi, Russia. This barren, arctic landscape influenced Arbugaeva in almost every aspect of her dreamlike photography.

    Surviving the Peace: Laos

    Surviving the Peace: Laos takes an intimate look at the impact of unexploded bombs left over from the Vietnam war in Laos and profiles the dangerous, yet life saving work, that MAG has undertaken in the country.

    A Thousand More

    A family is determined to give their disabled son a whole and vital life. In the midst of a great burden, one small child – with a seemingly endless supply of love – is the blessing that holds a family together.

    Lynn Johnson

    Inspired by the photographs of the Farm Security Administration growing up, Lynn Johnson has spent nearly 35 years as a photojournalist working for LIFE, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated and various foundations.

    Resetting The Table

    Resetting the Table takes a unique, personal look at the impact Starbucks’ Create Jobs for USA program has had on the American Mug & Stein pottery facility in East Liverpool, Ohio.

    Hungry Horse

    Hungry Horse captures the spirit of renewal, peace and serenity through stunning landscapes and intimate oral histories.

    The Amazing Amy

    Using humor and a love of fantasy, "The Amazing Amy" Harlib connects with audiences through performing strenuous yoga-based contortion acts in New York City.

    The Bride Price

    In many countries, girls as young as eight are forced into marriage by their families, culture and economic situation. This practice destroys their chance at education leading to tragic results.

    David Guttenfelder

    Surreal and mysterious, North Korea was a black hole to outsiders wanting a glimpse of the country. That all changed in 2012, when AP photographer David Guttenfelder led the opening of the bureau's newest office inside the North Korea.

    Take Care

    Virginia Gandee's brilliant red hair and dozen tattoos belie the reality of this 22-year-old's life. Inside her family's Staten Island trailer her caregiving goes far beyond the love she has for her daughter.

    A Darkness Visible: Afghanistan

    Based on 14 trips to Afghanistan between 1994 and 2010, A Darkness Visible: Afghanistan is the work of photojournalist Seamus Murphy. His work chronicles a people caught time and again in political turmoil, struggling to find their way.

    Intended Consequences

    In Rwanda, in 1994, Hutu militia committed a bloody genocide, murdering one million Tutsis. Many of the Tutsi women were spared, only to be held captive and repeatedly raped. Many became pregnant. Intended Consequences tells their stories.

    The Marlboro Marine

    To those who serve in the armed forces, what is the aftereffect of war? The Marlboro Marine is photographer Luis Sinco's portrait of Marine Corporal James Blake Miller, whom he met in Iraq. For Miller, coming home has been its own battle.

    Ivory Wars

    Zakouma National Park is one of the last places on earth where elephants still roam by the thousands. In a land where poachers will slaughter the huge animals for their tusks alone, it takes armed guards to keep them safe.

    Kingsley's Crossing

    Kingsley's Crossing is the story of one man's dream to leave the poverty of life in Africa for the promised land of Europe. We walk in his shoes, as photojournalist Olivier Jobard accompanies Kingsley on his uncertain and perilous journey.


    Collaborate With Us

    We collaborate with a wide range of clients to tell their story. Our services include reporting, post production, interactive design and interactive packaging.

    The MediaStorm Platform is an advanced video platform that extends the user experience beyond linear video to include the interactive capabilities of the Internet. 

    Learn storytelling, filmmaking, video, multimedia production and business skills through MediaStorm’s intensive, hands-on workshops and in-depth online training resources.



    The MediaStorm Platform is an advanced video platform that extends the user experience beyond linear video to include the interactive capabilities of the Internet. 


    Follow MediaStorm


    Copyright 2025 MediaStorm, LLC | Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Contact


    See more at MediaStorm