Do I want my birth photographed?

Are you preparing for your upcoming birth and curious if having a birth photographer as part of your team is a good fit for you? There are so many unknowns in birth and it can be challenging to visualize what the day will be like and what’s right for you. Maybe you’ve seen some beautiful photos on instagram or have fuzzy photos from your first birth. And you wonder if it’s worth it. And maybe you wonder if that’s something that’s for you, having someone photograph these intimate moments. Birth is an individual process, and no two people are the same in their needs.  Here are some reasons to consider whether this is something you want for your upcoming birth.

Birth is a phenomenal once in a lifetime event.

It is a major point of transformation in who you are and in your life.  It’s beautiful, it’s spiritual, it’s fundamental to your family.  Having record of this will be something you will cherish for the rest of your life.  And it will be something your children will look back on, when they are young and when they are older.  There is no other event like it in your life.  Seeing the love between you and your partner is beautiful as you meet the being you created together.

Seeing our birth images helps us process the experience.  

Birth is an incredible and intense process. The state of mind we are in when we give birth often doesn’t let us track exact details.  Having documentation of them can help us integrate this experience in the weeks, months and years after a birth.

You don’t have to give birth in any particular way for it to be worthy of photographing.

Births happen in all the ways.  And you only have so much choice over what unfolds for you and your baby during the birth.  All births are beautiful and worth documenting.  It’s about your story and the journey your baby took to meet you. Wherever you give birth and however it happens.

Having a professional take photos is worth it. 

Hiring a professional birth photographer is an investment.  But it comes with return.  A professional birth photographer has equipment to handle the specific conditions of birth such as low light or small spaces. We can also know how to make edits to bring out the magic in your birth story.  We are also on call 24/7 making adjustments to our life to be with you for this great moment, whenever it happens.  We ensure you’ll come away with images from your birth you’ll treasure.

And having a birth photographer who is also a doula means having someone with the training and experience specific to birth to navigate the moment to moment needs of a birth, read the room, and support you beyond the documentation being taken.  It also means filling two rolls in one, which means less people in the room.  

All you have to do is show up and labor.  We do the rest.

Birth photography is not like a posed portrait session.  We follow your lead as the story unfolds.  It’s about the story unfolding, just as it is.  Often people forget that their pictures are being taken. Especially as a doula I know how to navigate being in the room so you don’t feel invaded, watched, or judged. I’m there to take care of you just like your midwife or ob or other care providers in the room.

Birth photography is about documenting your whole birth, not just the moment that baby arrives.  There’s so much to treasure.

The birth process usually includes at least a few hours of laboring before baby comes out, sometimes whole days.  We are aiming to capture your story in that time, over those hours.  While we may capture some more vivid images of baby emerging from your body, this is not the sole focus of the photos.  Sweet moments of partner holding mom, the birth team assisting mom, or even the flowers that someone brought you that are on the table in the room are sweet details that you will cherish as much as the moment of birth.   And we will talk before the birth to establish your preferences around what we take during the birth.  It is 100% possible to take discrete birth photos.  Many women labor naked, but not all.  In all things in birth it is about following your preferences throughout the entire process.  

Have other questions or worries? Please reach out. I offer a free consult for any of my services. I love getting questions, I know there is so much to be curious about for your upcoming birth.