Birth photography is something that many are intrigued by but are also uncomfortably with. Until recently, as in the last 20-30 years recently, birth was something that was "private." So private that fathers were often kept out of the birthing space. This has made it very taboo, even in our progressive society. So I am here today, to share some common concerns and responses to those concerns.

You don't need photos. You will remember this very private moment.

Let me start by saying that I, too, wanted my birth to be private. I wanted it to be between my husband and I. I wanted it to be a memory only the two of us shared (well, us and our midwife and nurses). How could I ever forget the most important moment of my life??? But the fact of the matter is that the human brain is just not equipped to deal with hormones, pain, chaos and elation and be expected to make detailed, beautiful memories in the process. So much of my labor and delivery are lost and blurry and uncertain. Even the days that followed are a mess of memories! After 22 hours of labor, one c-section and four days in the hospital, this is what I have to remember it by:

That's it. I am so insanely grateful that my amazing labor nurse got someone to cover her other patients and came into the OR with me and had the good sense to grab my camera and snap a few pictures or I'd be left with TWO images.

Birth doesn't have to be raw and unfiltered.

When we think of birth, we often picture what we see on TV. Lots of screaming, lots of misery and lots of blood. If you have been through a birth, you know that this isn't an accurate representation and at best is a hugely exaggerated portrayal. Birth photography doesn't strive for a "shock factor." It is meant to capture the relationship and support between everyone involved. It is meant to capture the amazing strength shown by mom as she literally creates a new life. It is meant to freeze that one amazing moment when mom sees her baby, touches her baby, holds her baby for the first time. The ins and out like how filtered or unfiltered, what angles and what details are included in your session is all customized and planned by you. It is your birth. You control the session.

Birth is a milestone.

Think about it. As parents, we are constantly photographing every tiny milestone of our children's lives. Every time they change, develop, learn, accomplish - we are there to document it. So why is birth any different? Isn't birth the most important milestone of all? Birth is the milestone where they enter our world, take their first breath of air and turn us into parents. There is no bigger or more important milestone and just like the others, it deserves to be preserved.

So don't let modesty, fear or discomfort stop you from hiring a birth photographer to be there to provide endless memories of the most important day of your life.

Like what you see? CONTACT ME!