I get the most interesting looks when I say we had a photographer for our births.
“Why would you ever want pictures of that?” is the most typical response.
We never question someone when they hire a wedding photographer, so why is it so taboo to hire a birth photographer?
The Why...
Birth is beautiful.
I feel like I could stop right there and let that be the whole blog, but I won’t leave you hanging. 
But this is why:
And this is why:
Much like a wedding, birth is a huge life cycle event. It deserves the planning, care, and focus that we give wedding planning. And it deserves to be documented and remembered.
Birth is a transformation of your mind, body, and soul. You become a different being on the other side. What a gift to give yourself to have evidence through the transformation in the form of photos or video?
Also, how often does a woman see how strong she is? How often do we witness pure surrender and love? You meet your child for the first time only once – why wouldn’t we want to capture that moment?
So....what exactly is birth photography?
Birth photography (and videography) is typically done in a documentary fashion, a way to tell the story of your birth through images. You can witness the process of mom going through the stages of labor, the support of the partner, the behind-the-scenes of the birth team as mom labors.
It’s not staged or posed; it captures the raw, authentic realities of labor. And it’s not just photos of a baby coming out of the vagina or incision.
(Ironically, the first meeting with our birth photographer, she asked the question about “should I capture crowning?” and I said ABSOLUTELY and unequivocally no….and then the position I was in for birthing my son ended up being spread eagle on my back with literally no option other than full-on crowning shots. And those are some of my absolute favorite photos from his birth.)
It provides a glimpse into the anticipation, the hard work of labor, the moment you and baby lock eyes for the first time, the relief written on mama’s face when her baby is finally in her arms, the awe on a partner’s face witnessing and supporting his wife….it’s about telling the story of the miracle that birth is.
Can't my husband/doula/mom just take photos?
Sure, they can and maybe they should, too. My husband grabbed some during my first labor, and my sister snapped some photos during my second. It’s cool to look back on their perspectives from the day.
But that’s not what those people should be focusing on in the moment. Every person in the birth space has a specific role to play, and they need to be fully present to do their role successfully.
Had I depended on my husband for photos, I wouldn’t have images like this:
Had I depended on my sister or doula for photos, I wouldn’t have images like this:
What a gift those are.
Having a person in the space solely dedicated to capturing and telling the story through images and video provides a much more complete rendition of the experience. Having the full story in images can help you remember details you may have forgotten or not seen, and it will give you a beautiful way to tell your child their birth story down the line.
A professional photographer also knows how to be objective and capture authentically without interfering with the process.
Additionally, the ideal birth space is dark and may have some tricky lighting situations to deal with camera-wise.
But it's SO expensive...
Most birth photographers are on call for you from 37 weeks onward.
Birth photography is expensive because the photographer is dedicating their life to you. It’s not like a wedding where there’s a specific time, date, and set number of hours.
They drop everything when you go into labor – birthday parties, family dinners, date nights.
When the average wedding in the US costs upwards of $40K, it makes me wonder if the priorities in this country are wrong. If you’re willing to drop a few thousand on a wedding photographer or spring for that few hundred dollar annual Christmas family photo, it would stand to reason that you could do the same for a birth photographer.
This is one of THE most transformative moments in life. As with most aspects of birth, it’s worth the investment.
How do you use the pictures?
Having a professional photographer provides you with artistically documented and preserved moments as a family that are intimate, unrepeatable, and life-changing.
Personally, we display the photos around our home just as we do with other family photos of big moments in our lives. I have plans to create albums for each child (one day, that will happen!).
I also utilize them in a more public way than many might choose – I share them on my blog and Instagram account to normalize and empower. In a society where so many fear birth and expect it to be inherently traumatic and terrifying, I want to show that it doesn’t need to be that way. Birth photography can show the truth about birth – the empowering, transformative, otherworldliness nature that words can’t quite capture.
One of my biggest regrets was not having video from my first birth. I adore the photos, and they are such a blessing to have, but I do regret not having the video aspect. However, I love the option we chose with our second which was a “fusion” offering where our photographer combined photos and video clips from the birth to tell the story.
It can also be an avenue of reflection, understanding, and healing. I’ve seen time and time again that mamas with a traumatic birth can find healing in the photos. I’ve especially heard from mamas whose births went off the rails (crazy precipitous labor, homebirth transfer, true emergency c-section, etc.) that the photos captured helped them process what the heck happened.
Even if ultimately the photos are just for you and your partner to look at, your birth story is worth being captured. First breath, cry, glance, touch, kiss – it’s irreplaceable.